Just an Experiment
by ChaoticGuardian1253
Summary: Years prior to the incident in Jurassic World, the first Indominus Rex was created, but it was nothing like the destructive monster that ravaged the park. Instead, it was somewhat human in appearance. And since then, he's been experimented on even after the destruction of the park. But while scientists teach him what human life is, a young girl teaches him how to LIVE a human life.
1. Prologue

A humanoid figure sat on his grey table with his tail swishing about as he scribbled away his imagination onto a blank piece of paper. His crimson eyes surveyed the beautiful landscape he created onto such small piece of paper, but something was missing. He place his clawed hand under his reptilian muzzle while the other scratched his white scales as he thought long and hard about it. Finally, the answer came to him.

A smile. The sun needed a smile.

"All right Ethan," a voice from the outside spoke through the bland room's speakers, "show me what you got."

H e couldn't help but grin proudly of his great work of art. The dino boy held the drawing to the one-way mirror in front of him, which was practically like the only window etched into one of the dull grey walls.

Leaning forward and lifting his glasses, the scientist peered closer into the experiment's drawing. It was a child's drawing of many different dinosaurs playing together over lush green grass under the sun that smiled down upon them. The smallest dino was one that stood on two human-like legs labeled _me._ Interesting

Suddenly the door slid open behind the scientist and out came an orange headed woman, her unmoving lips and cold stern gaze uneased the man before her. "Dr. Malcolm, any report for our latest experiment?" she spoke while scrolling down her tablet.

Dr. Malcolm sighed, rolled in his chair, and tore his glasses off. Claire could at least show some respect by taking her eyes off from her goddamn tablet for one second. "Subject has been successful so far in showing human traits, mostly drawing pictures and practicing English. You know, like what other kids do his age."

Claire scrolled down her tablet, unimpressed. "Age?"

The man swiveled back to his computer and typed in a few keys. "Subject is approximately six years and 21 days old, and still counting," he joked, but Claire didn't even break a single smile.

"Eating habits?"

"Mostly he eats meat, being a carnivore and all, though he will try biting one or two vegetables. And fruit…. he likes all of them. Apples, oranges, mangoes, bananas, you name it. We also gave him some utensils to see if he would use them or not."

"Result?"

"Took him a couple of days, but he finally taught himself how to use them. Though, he does prefer not using them at all unless we tell him to."

"Hmmm," she said unimpressed. "Well, continue the research until further notice. Maybe in a few years we can use him to be the park's newest attraction. Now if you'll excuse me, I have go see our _other_ Indominus Rex."

"Nobody's excusing you," Dr. Malcolm mumbled through his hand and focused back on the creature. Just a few more boring hours watching some dino kid making whatever you tell him to make, but much to his surprise, the dinosaur had finished another drawing without being told so, and it seemed to be a picture of him holding hands with what appears to be a human. Strange.

 **6 years after the events of Jurassic World**

"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Owen screamed at his wife who did nothing but cross her arms. He sat back and plopped his elbows on the table, resting his headache consumed head on his hands. He thought they've finally put everything behind them: the island, the stupid hybrid projects, and most importantly, the freakin dinosaurs that tried to kill them. But Mrs. Wife here seems to have taken a step back and wants to do something that even he would consider crazy.

"In every way, yes I'm serious," Claire responded calmly glaring right back at Owen.

Owen slammed his palm against the wood. "Then explain why again?"

"Another experiment-"

"Let me guess," he interrupted. "You guys tried making a T. Rex look like a majestic fucking dragon by giving it wings and now it's flown away; kidnapping little princesses and whisking them away into fucking towers?"

"No, nothing like that!" Though, one scientist did mention they should add a little pterodactyl DNA into the Indominus. "It's another Indominus Rex." Owen's face paled. "BUT it's smaller and has more… human qualities," she assured.

"Oh I see, just because it's _smaller_ and has _human qualities_ , you want to bring our daughter with you back to the fucking island so she could _befriend_ it?"

"It's not as bad as you think."

"I'm pretty sure a man-made murder machine getting anywhere near my daughter is as bad as I think it is!"

"Dammit Owen, she's my daughter too!" she bursted through swelling tears. "But Ethan is like a son to me! I have to watch him become lonelier and more depressed each day because he has absolutely no friends! And other scientists refuse to use their own children to help cheer him up."

"Except you," Owen's eyes pointed.

"Except me," she agreed.

Owen bent down and rubbed his temples. "I'm not sure about this…."

Claire scoffed. "Since when were you such a worry wart. Besides, we both know our daughter is having trouble making friends in school. So why not have her first friend be a walking talking dinosaur in some far off island?"

Before another cuss word left Owen's mouth, their daughter suddenly came inside the kitchen wearing her pink dinosaur pajamas. One hand rubbed her tired eyes while the other dragged her T Rex stuffed doll across the floor. She squinted her blue eyes. "Mommy, Daddy, why were you yelling?"

Claire knelt to her daughter's level and flicked the fiery red bangs from her face. "Layla, sorry if we woke you up, but me and Daddy are deciding if you should come with me to an island for summer vacation."

"Island?" she said wide-eyed.

She nodded. "Yes honey. An island where someone really wants to be your friend."

"F-Friend?" she had trouble pronouncing. The words were foreign to her.

"But your Daddy is being a little… hard to convince." She actually wanted to say a little bitch but whatever.

Instantly, Layla rushed to her father, forgetting the definition of tired, and was practically jumping up and down begging him. The idea of an actual friend instead of plastic dollies seemed to give her infinite energy "Oh please oh please oh please Daddy, can I come with Mommy?"

"I dunno," her father murmured, unsure. "It's pretty dangerous and-"

Using one finger, Layla jabbed her father's knee. "Danger is my wittle name!" she pouted bravely.

One look at his daughter's determined eyes and he was gonna suffer the hell of incessant begging, so he reluctantly agreed. What could possibly go wrong?

 **Sup everybody, author here. So right now I'm just seeing if there's anybody willing to read this so it can motivate me to post more chapters. I don't own Jurassic Park/World by the way. Anyways, fav and review!**


	2. First Day

"Sweetie, take your face off the window. It's dirty," Claire suggested to her daughter while never taking her own eyes off the window of her tablet.

"But I can't Mommy, I'm too excited!" the young child said with no limits to her endless leaps. "And I can see the island too! We almost there!"

Layla squished her face against the plane's clear window as the island approached. Flocks of birds greeted as they flew by, the light breeze brushed mini waves towards the shore, and the clear blue ocean mirrored the pure white clouds above. Normally, people would think the park became abandoned and left to rot since in its rubble, but no. The American government rushed in as soon as they caught wind about the park's downfall and bought the entire island, along with its research and whatever was left of its scientists. And for the next few years bringing it back to its formal glory. Though, it wasn't used as a _park_ anymore. Many workers left, however, and really the only reason why Claire hasn't done so too is because… well… not to be mean or anything but... who else is gonna pay for the groceries, the bills, the car, the house, and most importantly, Layla's future college? Definitely not Owen and his dead-end job in some restaurant that's who.

The sightseeing together with the plane slowly skidded to a stop on the airway. Now with her pink Barbie backpack slung over her shoulder and her trusty T Rex doll tucked tightly in one arm, there's no one stopping Layla now. She bursted out the door without a moment's hesitation. Claire stumbled in her highheels like a complete drunk trying vainly to catch up yet placing all her focus onto her tablet. "Layla, don't run! You don't even know where you're going!" she called.

"Of course I do Mommy! I have a map!" she shouted back waving her _map_ everywhere for the world to see. In reality, the map is actually something she copied off from the back of her favorite cereal box.

Luckily, before Layla's own makeshift map could lead her to God knows where, she crashed headfirst into a pair of long legs. She stumbled and gazed towards the sky, and found a tall African man staring down at her with curious eyes. The man fixed his glasses. "Well well well. If I'm not mistaken, you're Claire's kid aren't ya?" the man said in a tone that couldn't be any gentler. He offered his hand, the universal gestures of greetings. "I'm Dr. Malcolm. Nice to meet ya."

A familiar feeling sparked inside Layla. Her insides churned, limbs felt numb and became unresponsive, and her brain tripped.

Dr. Malcolm drew back his hand. "A shy one aren't cha?" he said apologetically. "Sorry, couldn't really tell with the way you were running up and down towards the wrong way."

She gulped, a loss for words.

"Oh, Dr Malcolm!" Claire said running up to the two, her entire face flustered and matted with dripping sweat. Next Christmas, she's gonna make Owen get her a portable AC. "I see you've met my daughter, Layla." She patted her child's head. "Layla, this is Dr. Malcolm. Say hi," she urged. Layla cowered behind her mother's legs, one eye hidden while the other barely had the will to stay open to stare cautiously at the man.

Claire quickly apologized for her daughter's lack of sociability, but Dr. Malcolm waved off her worries with a grin. "Don't worry about it, Claire. I understand that kids these days watch movies where the men in lab coats are the crazy evil scientists who experiment on them."

The thought of Dr. Malcolm holding her school's plastic safety scissors that was riddled with the blood of countless other children only prompted her to hug her mother's legs tighter for dear sweet life.

Claire's glare(hey that rhymes!) was fiercer than any velociraptor's. Those damn cold eyes could scare the living shit out of anyone. "Well, since we're done with the uh… introductions," he coughed. Are those murderous orbs still trying to kill him? Damn, they are. "I guess I should show you guys where you'll be staying before we meet our _friend._ "

* * *

If it wasn't for the dirt path guiding them, the classroom-sized building might as well be completely hidden under all the heavy forest life. The jeep pulled in front, and Claire shepherd her daughter out of the vehicle. Hand in hand, they followed Dr. Malcolm who brushed aside the faceful of leaves. Then he came to an abrupt stopped just barely a few inches from the door. "Ladies first," he gestured.

Hesitantly, Layla took the first step. Then without warning the door slid open causing the young child to shriek and conceal herself ever closer behind her mother's legs. Any tighter and Claire's gonna be sent to the emergency room.

"It's okay sweetie, the door's not gonna hurt you," her mother said and shooed her through.

Inside, the countless computers sat on the desk, playing their hums and faint beeps into the trio's ears. A window was etched into the wall in front of them to reveal what's hidden, but even in tippy toes Layla couldn't quite glimpse what lies beyond. And when the young child was shown the door where she was told she had to take the next step alone, sudden uneasiness shifted her legs in an awkward dance as Claire watched pitifully. She knelt down to her daughter's level and bumped foreheads. "Sweetie, are you all right?"

She avoided her mother's stern stare, trying to hide what her eyes truly told. "Yes Mommy, I'm ok…."

"Listen, you don't have to do this if you're not brave enough. We can just head back and tell your father-"

"But I am bwave enough!" she interrupted with burning determination clutching her T Rex stuffed doll. "And bwave people never run away!"

Claire chuckled and patted her head. The last thing she wanted to do was tell Owen how wrong she was. "That's good. Now go get yourself a friend."

Layla springed from the spot when her only exit came to a close, but she forced herself to press on. As she traveled in a snail's pace, her feverish eyes scanned the surroundings. The entire room was… boring. Hardly any color at all. Walls, ceiling, drawers, bed, and even the bed's blankets and pillows were splashed with grey. Her pink and blue pretty much made her shine in the infinite blandness. To add to the boringness, there was a bookcase neatly, but at the same time, crammed with sleep inducing textbooks stuffed with loose papers between every page. But what stood out most of all sat on its table in the middle of the room. A hole in its blue shorts allowed a large scaly tail to swish back and forth like a snake readying to strike. Sharp plates cascaded from the top of its head and formed little bumps behind its black shirt. A monster? Gulping down fear, she took a step forward.

Both Claire and Dr. Malcolm were trapped in unbearable suspense watching Layla slide so painfully slow. Everything seemed fine so far, but there was something troubling the doctor. So much in fact, Claire finally bothered asking. "Dr. Malcolm, is there anything on your mind?"

"Two things actually. One: are you sure it's a good idea for Layla to meet Ethan? She's your own daughter for Christ's sake. And Ethan being based on a flesh eating dinosaur really screams out trouble."

Claire released a sigh. She figured he would bring something like that up. "To be honest Dr. Malcolm, I'm not worried at all. From what I know, Ethan is a well mannered boy who wouldn't dare to hurt a single fly. Not to mention you've known him since he first hatched, so you should definitely know better about him than any data we've collected."

"You're damn right," Malcolm chuckled. "Okay, I see where you're getting at, but two: are you sure your daughter's up for the job? I mean, I've met her today and already I can tell she's the kind who'll probably run from her own shadow. Imagine how'll she react when she meets Ethan."

This never crossed Claire's mind. All she ever thought of was to find her daughter a friend by any means possible; never how she'll react when she meets even one of Ethan's wickedly sharp claws and fangs. "You may have a point doctor," she reluctantly agreed. "But I know Layla just as much as you know Ethan. Sure, she may seem a bit shy, but under that she's one of the sweetest girls you'll ever meet. And if Ethan can only get through with her…"

"Well, here's our chance to find out."

Layla had finally journeyed to the room's center, standing near the strange figure who seemed oblivious to her presence. Its crimson eyes were busy peering through the nerdy glasses that rested on its reptilian snout, totally fixated on the paper where a pencil wrote furiously in its four-clawed hand. Labeled on its shirt was the skull of a T. Rex and written in bold red letters above that read JURASSIC PARK. "Divide by five…. carry the two…. subtract by three…" it mumbled, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth in its maw. "Then-"

"Um… is that…. homework?" she whispered quietly.

In that moment of time, its large head swiveled in her direction and everything froze.

…

…

…

…

It blinked.

"Wahhhhh!" it screamed and threw itself from the spot. The fallen chair rattled the room as the creature fell flat with its tail lying limp against the ground. "Oww…." it moaned. Stars swam around its head and the creature shook them off, then fixed its misplaced glasses. Brushing aside dirt it swiftly stood to full height, which was nearly as tall as her mother in highheels! And that's basically a giant in her opinion. Then ,simply out of curiosity, she stared below his waist. His legs were digitigrade. And each foot of his had its own set of four silver claws; one claw equally as big as its brothers with one little sibling hanging behind.

"Oh, hello!" the creature spoke frantically while trying to get a hold of itself. "Please excuse my little misstep there. It's just that I can be quite the leaper when there's an interference during my deep focus."

"Um… uh….," Layla stammered. By the way spoke she could tell the creature's a boy. Not good. Not good at all.

"You must be one of my caretaker's child, yes? She told me I would be meeting you soon. Allow me to introduce myself." The creature placed a hand on his chest and followed with a bow "My first name is Ethan. Though it is custom for humans to have a last name, I currently have none. I hope that is okay with you."

"I...guess...well… is okay…."

Ethan clapped his hands together, an honest smile forming across his muzzle. "Excellent! Now if you're concerned with my age, I am approximately…. 13 years and 67 days old. As for my hobbies, the only one so far is drawing. Though I am sure to find other future hobbies that suit my interests."

"O….Ok…."

"According to the textbooks I've read, I have given myself a proper introduction. So I believe it's your turn to introduce yourself."

Introductions?! Layla could barely introduce her plastic dolls in her school's show and tell! But she has to at least try. Summing up her will, she finally shouted in her bravest voice, "M-M-My name is Layla and…. and… and I'm six feet old! And… and…." Out of ideas, she guarded her flustered face with her T. Rex stuffed doll. "And this is Mr. T. Rex! He's been my friend since my five birthday!"

Interested in her little green dinosaur, he said, "Amazing! Did you know your doll depicts a Tyrannosaurus Rex, otherwise known as a T. Rex as you earlier described it? I've read somewhere that they're most notable for using their strong jaws to easily kill and tear apart prey"

Stunned by this revelation, Layla turned her doll to face him. "Mr. T. Rex…. you... you kill?"

Mr. T. Rex's head flopped to one side, his googly eyes googling around.

Realizing the fear he unintentionally cause, he quickly assured, "No, of course he doesn't! I've read somewhere that dolls like your Mr. T. Rex is simply a tool created by humans to be… uh… what are dolls made to be used again?"

"But if Mr. T Rex eats meat like a mwonster, how can he be a doll?" she whimpered innocently through bittersweet tears.

Ethan sighed. "As I said before, your doll merely depicts the _mwonster_ you name eats meat. And besides, we all eat meat, including me." A habit of his, his long pink tongue licked alongside his jawline dripping drool wherever it goes. Then he said as if entranced in a dream, "Especially when the meat is so pink and fleshy when I tear it apart…. the sweet blood running down my-"

"Bl-blood?" she said meekly.

The dinosaur's mouth clamped shut when he finally noticed Layla's leaking tears. Obviously caused by him explaining his small eating habits. They can't be that grotesque, can they? "Oh, excuse me if I had frightened you, Layla!" he said hastily. "My only intentions are to exchange information about myself so you can trust me." His head lurched down in shame as he rubbed the back of his neck for comfort. "And maybe even become friends…like what other humans I've read do with each other." With great will he extended his shaky claws to her hoping for a handshake. However, the fearful look he created in her told him he shouldn't expect as much, but he hid sadness behind his smile. "Well, exchanging information isn't the only way we can befriend each other. I've read somewhere that activities like drawing can help bring us closer together." Like a perfect gentlemen, he pulled out a chair just for her. "Shall we get started?"

Layla scooted her chair off far more than reasonable; that super nice dinosaur might as well be that witch who tried to kill Hansel and Gretal with diabetes, but no way will that stop Ethan from trying. He forced his hand to rush through his drawings, and with each one done he showed them off with pride. Everyone of his pictures were dinosaurs wearing interesting and even laughable costumes, but Layla's own fear blinded her from seeing any of that. And soon, with each failed attempt, Ethan's showcase of pictures slowly came to a stop. Often he would suddenly stop everything and give his empty paper a void stare.

"Are… are you okay?" the child asked.

Her voice knocked Ethan's head back into the real world. "Oh….uh… yes! Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you aren't making Mr. T Rex in a clown costume like… like you said you would. Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong." To further prove it, he showed her his false smile.

Yet much to his surprise, she somehow caught his lie. "But you look sad," she said with honest worry.

"How can you even tell if I'm sad. My appearance is nothing like a human," he said almost like she angered him.

"Because you look like me when I'm sad."

Ethan dropped his pencil, the fall echoing across the room. "I…look like you?"

Thinking hard, Layla placed a finger over her chin and gazed at the ceiling. "Not really, but I noticed that when someone is sad they look like everyone else who are sad."

Disappointed, he said, "Oh, ok. I understand."

"But why are you sad?" the child kept persisting. Ethan shifted his gaze. "Pwease tell me Ethan. I can help!"

There was a dangerous glint in his crimson orbs. "Are you sure you want to know? It could be dangerous," he warned maliciously, revealing sharp teeth. Layla's fear came gulping her throat ; however, her determination endured. Ethan sighed. "I scared you, didn't I? And I probably have been since we met," Reluctantly, she nodded, causing him to stare at his silver claws as if seeing them for the first time. "Believe it or not, I'm just as much scared as you are. I fear that my… _non human_ appearance will prevent any chance of me making friends with kind humans like you. And it appears to be true…. and that saddens me."

Maybe Layla was hallucinating, but one look at Ethan and she felt as though she was staring at a mirror; scared, lonely, and heart-breakingly sad. So she did the only thing she knew how to. She ran out of her chair, jumped into his lap and gave the poor dino boy the tightest hug in the entire universe.

"Wh-What are you doing?" Ethan stammered. This sudden assault nearly made his instincts kick in and mutilate his attacker, but he held back with all his strength.

"I'm hugging you, Dummy. Duh!"

"B-But why?"

"Because whenever I feel sad, my mommy and daddy hug me to make me feel better. When I hug you when you feel sad, do you feel better?"

How can hugging make one feel better? his intelligent brain pondered, but his happy heart beated faster than ever before, and soon, his scaly arms wrapped around the small child in a loving hug. With her head pressed against the dino's chest, she could practically feel it rumble from his soft growling purr, prompting her to snuggle deeper into the massage.

Ethan was the first to pull back. At first, she was worried. Was her ultimate weapon a failure? However, he dashed those worries away with a chuckle. "Interesting, that hug really did make me feel better. So, since I'm back to imagination mode, how about I finish drawing your Mr. T Rex riding a unicycle while dressed as a clown like I promised?"

* * *

"So, what do you think of Ethan, General?" Claire asked the imposing man who stood upright like a solid wall, his steel cold eyes paying close attention to the window.

The man chuckled. "I think you're experiment looks great, Mrs. Dearing," he congratulated. "It looks like a good dinosaur who will have a great future ahead of it." His words held truth, but the strange part is he didn't see the pencil in Ethan's hand, the carefulness of how he directed his claws to avoid wounding the stupid kid as he guiding her hand over the paper, nor did he see the joy his smile had. Instead, the general saw a gun blazing endlessly in his hand, his sharp claws lodged deep in an enemy soldier's throat, and the knives in his maw tearing apart the flesh of all those who oppose it. The perfect weapon.

"But you are going to take Ethan with you now, are you General?" Claire asked.

He scoffed. "Do I look like an idiot? No, of course not! The thing's a wild animal who won't hesitate to kill any of us if given the chance. Especially since the beast is a smaller copy from the dinosaur who screwed up your park. When are you going to install the device like I've ordered you damn scientist to?"

"As I've explained the last time you were here, General, Ethan is far too young for us to conduct surgery on. If we were to do this now, you're betting his own life on the line. And it'll take years if you want another Indominus Rex experiment like Ethan." Struggling, Claire maintained her poker face.

The general never caught the bluff. With a disappointed grunt, he began to exit the room, but not before giving a warning. "I'll believe you for now, Mrs. Dearing, but remember this. That beast out there PRETENDING to be friendly with your stupid girl is NOT a human being. It's an experiment bred up in your big fancy tubes for AND ONLY for me. You can think it's a human; you can treat it like a human; you can even make it believe it's a human… BUT once you get that device in its brain, the monster will be under MY control. Not yours, got it?" His loud steps were the final echoes of his departure.

Finally, Claire released her tears.

Dr. Malcolm was silent throughout the whole, and up until now he found the time to ask, "So, what are we going to do?"

Claire rid herself of the watery remnants. Then, composed herself like the stern woman she is. "The only thing we can do…. for Ethan." She took one last look Ethan. The dinosaur was clapping proudly for her daughter's beautifully scribbled picture of him. "We give him the happiest life he can ever wish for before… before he loses everything..."

* * *

"We're going outside?" Laya questioned as she had trouble tying her shoes. Good thing Ethan was there to do it for her.

"We're going for a walk; to be specific," Ethan said while finishing up another one of her pink shoes.

"My mommy and Mr. Malcolm let you play outside?"

"Again, it's a walk, and of course they let me. How else am I gonna get any exercise? Surely not sitting around here all day wearing out my hands," he smirked. "Actually, I'm allowed to venture anywhere as long as it's not behind a fence."

"Okay," she said, her brain having trouble processing the whole thing. "But if we are going outside, don't you need to wear shoes too?"

Ethan grinned, but inside he laughed. Him wearing shoes? The image was ridiculous. "No because I'm pretty sure there isn't a single pair of shoes out there quite my size," he answered and ruffled her hair. "Even if I do choose to wear shoes the claws on my feet will surely rip the fabric. And I read from somewhere that shoes are getting more expensive these days so I rather not anger my caretakers by wasting their money." When Layla's shoes couldn't crush her feet any further, the two walked out of the dinosaur's bland room hand in hand. A part Layla hoped her mother was ready to pounce on her as a form of congratulation for making her first friend. Strangely though, it seemed if a magician magically whisked them away. Or at least, that's what her young mind said.

"If you're wondering where Mrs. Dearin and Dr. Malcolm are," Ethan said when he noticed her confusion. "According to what I've read, they are currently in a period called _Lunch Break._ "Does Ethan get everything he knows from reading?

Together, the two escaped the confines of the building and walk across the barren road. While man-made buildings offered air conditioning, the so-called _great outdoors_ offered blistering heat and blood seeking mosquitoes. At least the gracious trees surrounding the road provided a sense of coolness with their dark shades for them. Being a reptile, Ethan actually prefers the heat. The same couldn't be said for Layla, however. And being the smartass Ethan is, he made sure to explain every plant and bug that happened to pass by in perfect detail. One word went through one ear to the other, sadly.

Having done this daily walk so many times alone, Ethan wouldn't usually feel a tinge of excitement, but today, he felt as if his heart was exploding with happiness, which his brain concluded was physically impossible. From time to time, he just had to make sure the young child was real by gently squeezing her soft human hand.

As for the human, she basked in her surroundings way differently than she did when she was cooped in a car watching everything pass swiftly. One example being she would crouch down to the nearest plant possible and become transfixed on the bugs walking along the stems. With the way she's been acting, Ethan asked if this was her first time being outside, then was shocked to be answered with a near quiet "yes".

Their walk came to a stop. Right there, standing in all its shiny glory, was a FUCKING playground. The slippery slides, the monkey bars clean of any grubby fingerprints, and the firepole perfect for training kid-sized firefighters were all ready for abuse. And were those swings empty? Hell yes!

"I thought you might like this," Ethan said cheerfully as he watched the little kid bound off towards the swings. It would be a little surprising for anyone to see a children's playground still standing after the park's little incident, but believe or not, this park was the only place completely untouched from the destruction that raged like wildfire. And the scientists weren't being superstitious or anything, but they took it's survival as some sort of sign and kept the playground in peak condition in all these years. Today's actually the first time a kid would play on it after so long.

"Push me Ethan!" Layla begged as her legs tried vainly to bring herself up more than two feet.

"Uh, ok," he said, caught off guard by her request. Brushing aside hesitation he was super careful to not puncture her back with his claws as he pushed her into a steady rhythm. With each push gradually growing in strength, he began to wonder why the humans he's seen in his textbooks would enjoy the position he's in. Isn't it better if you're the one on the swing seeing the entire world on a higher plane? But something weird started to take place. As she smiled, he smiled too. As she laughed, he laughed too. As she leaped off the swing and plummet into the Earth. well… Ethan dropped everything. To make matters worse, he couldn't tell where exactly she'll be breaking bones. His legs grew a mind of their own. Driven by fear they rocket launched Ethan off the ground and he snactched her from the sky.

"Heh heh, that was fun!" the kid cheered while wrapped in Ethan's shaky arms.

"Fun?" Ethan said in total disbelief. Even still his heart thumped madly inside his chest "That was absolutely the complete opposite of fun! Your fragile form could've been damaged! "

"You sound like my mommy," she said with a grumpy pout.

"Precisely! Because I sound like your mommy it's imperative that you listen to me. Now, because I am concern for your well-being, we are leaving." Foretelling her protests, he explained, "Sunset will soon take place and remaining outside after dark is a dangerous situation. I will carry you back to the building and we will wait for your mother."

"Ahh…" Layla groaned, then said her goodbyes to the playground.

Covered in silence, the two made their way back. A few minutes later,Ethan could see the hidden path thanks to his keen eyes. Just a few more yards. Although, things weren't gonna go the way Ethan planned.

Nobody can destroy child's fun and get away with it! Being the vengeful kid she is, Layla wiggled out of the powerful dinosaur's firm hold and barged into the woods.

"Layla, dammi- I mean… curses!" Ethan shouted. "Don't run off! Running blindly into the woods will only result in you getting lost!" Despite his warning, Layla never came back. Not even a single laugh returned. Out of options, he followed.

Navigating in a forest is way harder compared to what he read in the textbooks. The heavy forest life prevented him from seeing more than two feet and the persistent shrubby thorns hindered his movement to a point of a snail's pace, but he trudged on, and thanks to his determination, the dinosaur broke through and came upon a clearing. Here, no trees towered over him. instead, a great fence extended across the open grass.

And what stood besides it was Layla curiously poking her head out of its ripped hole. The worst part, a sign just above her head read, "WARNING: 200,000 FREAKIN VOLTS. DO NOT FUCKING TOUCH YA SCRUB" FYI, the author added that last part for fun.

"Layla, don't touch that!" Ethan roared at the top of his lungs. The dinosaur seemed to have forgotten some of his studies because kids are hardwired to do the EXACT opposite of what you say. Her forehead bumped against the metal wire.

Nothing happened.

Ethan's relief came emptying out of his mouth. Then, his pupils dilated as he ran to her side. Claws firmly on his hips, he scolded, "Layla, did you not read the sign! You could've been killed!" He pointed at the sign.

"Oh… uh…" Finger on her chin, she began, "It says… two zero com...ma? Zero zero and… zero! And then it says...freekin volts? Do not fu-"

"Don't finish that," Ethan said quickly. He pinched the bridge of his snout, his worry transforming into a headache. "Just…. just tell me why you ran."

Pouting, she said, "Because I wanna have more fun with you before Mommy picks me up! So I played hide and seek with you!"

"That makes total sense I guess."

"And before you found me, I found this hole we can go through! My mommy read me a story about a girl who goes inside a hole and gets invited to a tea party!"

"I doubt something like that will happen to us in real life, but maybe-"

Layla was already long gone from listening when she was waving from the other side of the fence.

"Layla, what are you doing?" the stunned dino screamed.

"Going to a tea party, duh! Come join me!"

Join her? Ethan grabbed and squeezed his tail like a stress toy. "But I remember my caretakers told me to never cross over a fence because of the dangers behind it. So wouldn't that be… you know… breaking the rules?"

Her pleading puppy dog face was enough to persuade him. Besides, weren't rules made to be broken?

Passing through the same hole Layla took was much more of a hassle for him due to his size. Once he got through, Layla dragged his hand forward while he searched everywhere for some hidden camera glaring at him right now.

Soon the grass before them fell into a slope forcing them to pause and take in the scenery. Below them was not a forest, but an entire jungle! Being so up high they couldn't see what resided inside, but they could see the orange sun sinking beneath the lush green bushes.

"Hey Ethan," the child said quietly, taking a step back.

"Yes?" the dino said, turning around to face her.

Layla felt as though she was seeing Ethan for the first time. The breathtaking orange sky played as the perfect background; his white scales emanating the light that once belonged to the diving star; his long tail swishing back and forth like it has mind of its own; and the pearly teeth in his smile glowing brightly.

She tackled him. "Tag, you're it!"

Ethan was no way near prepared for her random assault. They came tumbling down the slope. At first, the dinosaur was enjoying the sensation of them laughing together while the grass brushed against his rough scales, but when the speed they fell increased tenfold, Ethan tightened his hold around her and pushed her head into his chest. The journey ended when Ethan landed firmly on his but with his tail laying limp from the overdose of adrenaline.

"That was fun!" the child cheered safely in his lap.

He pieced his mind back together. Then he found everything around him to be strangely blurry. He couldn't even if the girl on his lap was really just some alien blur thing, and she was like two inches away from him. He blinked, hoping that would be the cure but to no avail.

"Ethan, I think your glasses are missing," she suggested.

"Eh?" He slapped the spot where his glasses should be; the only is, they're not where they should be. After carefully removing Layla from his lap, he crawled over the ground like a sniffing dog.

"Hey, Ethan, are these your glasses?" the human said sweetly, handing out what was hopefully his glasses.

"Oh yes thank, Layla!" he said as he reached for his glasses and grabbed nothing but air.

"Um… I'm right here."

Saying the usual, "Of course I knew that" he stood to full height and brushed aside the dirt. He grabbed ahold of his glasses and put them right back on. Finally, he could see Layla's happiness clearly.

 _Crack!_

"Layla, did you hear that?"

 _Crack!_

"No, why?"

 _Crack!_

"There it was again!"

"But I don't-"

"Shhh! Listen!"

Ethan finally pinpointed the source. He never noticed until now, but they were right near the jungle. Not looking above it like gods, but looking at it face to face.

Ethan's pupils dilated.

He saw it all. The hidden danger that lurked within. The countless predators that watched their every movements. And their murderous intent. His heart beated madly with fear. "Layla, we need to go," he said.

"But-"

"Now!" He scooped her into his arms, despite her protests, and ran back up the slope in a speed he never thought possible. Now possibly safe, he gently dropped her to her feet.

Before Layla could say even a single word to what just happened, a new sound crackled from above.

No longer was the late afternoon sky filled with orange, but dark grey clouds amassing into an army. Thunder boomed and lightning began to crackle.

A storm was coming.

* * *

Claire dropped off her daughter in her new bedroom just before the climax of the storm. The elegant room used to be one of the rooms used only for tourists with a cushy bed made for jumping, a flat screen T.V hanging on the wall containing millions of channels, and the perfect view of the storm right out her window.

Scared, alone, the heavy rain pounding against the glass, and the ominous wind howling outside, Layla cowered beneath the covers. Everything around her was illuminated by darkness and only the brief flash of lightning shedded hardly any light. To pass the infinite time, she had a bit of a staring contest with the closet sitting innocently at the corner. It couldn't fool her, however. With the stories she's read, it's only a matter of time before the scary monster pops out to stuff her in its throat.

Never did she imagine the monster would come straight out of the door.

A gasp followed the sudden creak of it opening. The lightning flashed and she only caught a glimpse of its tail slithering out the door. Frozen with fear and blinded by darkness, she strained her ears for its footsteps, or anything at all for that matter, but the pounding rain and thunder crowded her hearing. The lightning flashed again, and this time, the monster was closer than ever before navigating through her room, clenching something in its silver claws. A weapon?

Whatever the case, Layla prayed her hardest.

Lightning flashed once again, and now, the monster was literally standing right near her bed. Then it spoke showing the razor teeth in its muzzle, "Layla, is that you? Are you capable of speach?"

She threw off the sheets, but the darkness still hid everything. " Ethan, is that really you?" Her hand reached out cautiously and was gently graced with the monster's scaled hand.

"Yes its me. Why wouldn't it be me?" The lighting flashed yet again, and revealed a familiar dinosaur staring curiously at her. It really was Ethan! "If you're wondering why I am here and not back in my room, it's because you forgot something. And don't worry, I was able to get here before the rain poured." Grabbing ahold of her hands, he placed Mr. T. Rex back to where it belongs.

"Mr. T. Rex?" Layla said, recognizing the cheap fabric of his green scales.

"Yes, it's him. As soon as I noticed him still in my possession, I ran to your living quarters before any rain hit me."

"Why?"

"Because I finally found out the reasons why young humans like you need dolls. One reason is that in times of distress, such as this storm, humans need something to hold onto that they believe will give them comfort and protection. How you cling to Mr. T. Rex as if your life depends on it is a prime example." Turning his back to her, he finished, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to return to my room."

Layla simply sat there as she watched her friend walk away, but a jolt of lightning shocked her to her senses. "Wait, Ethan!" she shouted. "Please don't go. I'm scared and I want you to stay with me."

"You don't need me," he said as if it didn't matter. "You have your friend with you…"

"But I want my other friend with me too!"

The dinosaur stopped dead in his tracks. What did she just say? Without looking back, he said, "When you said _other friend_ do you possibly mean me?"

"Of course I do! You're my best friend Ethan!" Her grand speech radiated fierceness and honesty combined into one, but booming thunder knocked it back where it came from. Upon realizing this, Ethan set himself in Layla's bed without wasting anymore time, careful not to rip anything as he draped the bed sheets over them. Taking off his glasses, he placed them on the nearby table.

With her head pressed against his rough chest, the young girl slowly found herself overtaken with blissful slumber. The soft breathing emanating from Ethan drowned out the booming thunder, the pounding rain, and the harsh winds blowing across the island. And if she put all her heart into listening, she could hear the steady beats of his heart.

"Ethan, can you promise me something?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you promise that you'll always be my friend?"

Promises, Ethan pondered. A deal made between humans. "Only if you promise me one thing: visit me with every chance you get, no matter what."

"Deal," Layla yawned. Suddenly, the loudest thunder roared, but this time, she didn't so much as flinch. Instead, she asked, "Ethan, how come grey clouds scream like a girl?"

"Well," he said with a chuckle. "If you are referring to thunder then…"

 **Blah Blah Blah**

"And that's how babies are made," Ethan finished happily. Luckily, she fell asleep long before he explained the human reproductive system.

Each second the dinosaur's eyelids fought to stand as Layla's gentle breathing became the only thing he could hear. During the final moments of his consciousness, Ethan took the time to examine the child in his arms. She was not maniacal or evilly ambitious; nor was she cruel like the humans he learned about in his history books. Instead, she was a sweet loving child eager to have fun with the friends she makes. Also, she is…

 _My first friend..._ Ethan whispered into her ear and embraced her tighter. Showing no complaints, Layla snuggled deeper. Hugs really do feel nice.

 **And that's it for now. Starting from here the next few chapters will be like one shot chapters about the experiences Ethan and Layla have together as they grow older. Then when they're both adults shit starts to happen. There's probably a few errors, but I'll find them later. Anyways, fav, follow, and review!**


	3. A Dinosaur and his Dolls

It was the second day of Layla's visit for the summer, and how were the two spending it? With Ethan lying down on his bed reading some boring science textbook while Layla sat a few inches away from him, playing with a couple of dolls.

This was not the way Ethan pictured the day would go. He pictured himself back at the park, having the time of his life swinging on the swings, his butt sliding against the slides, and his arms monkeying around in the monkey bars. However, the storm last night totally ruined the park. The swings were left twisted and tangled, the slides incapable of use(unless you want your butt wet), and the harsh wind was fierce enough to topple a tree and completely crush the monkey bars. R.I.P monkey bars. Also, the storm wasn't quite done just yet. It left behind a drizzle not bad enough to inhibit travel across the island, but still keep everyone indoors.

Ethan let out a sigh and put the book down. Compared to the fun he had with the human the other day, reading didn't feel like the imagination adventure he thought it used to be.

The man-made dinosaur stared at Layla, completely oblivious to the world around her as she made an entire world with the dolls in her hands. There would an occasional "Mwah mwah mwah!" or "would you wike sugar with your tea?" and even sometimes a "That's right Barbie! Punch him in the face!"

He couldn't help but chuckle at her display of violence.

Then a thought came across his mind. If he could find enjoyment in watching a girl play with dolls then maybe he could…you know... join her?

Sure, he read somewhere that playing with dolls would be considered _girly,_ but he quickly found that the term _action figures_ was simply a manlier name for _dolls. So, in conclusion, playing with dolls is not girly at all_ , his brain said.

 _And playing with dolls with your best friend will the most magical time of your life_ , his beating heart also concluded.

Ethan placed his textbook on a nearby wooden counter, and nervously tapped his claws together, asking in a hesitant tone, "Hey Layla, can I uh… join you?" He immediately shot a look towards the one-way mirror, embarrassment drawn over his face. Were they watching or not? Were they even there? Didn't matter actually. No way can they stop a strong dinosaur from playing with dolls.

Layla smiled and nodded.

* * *

So once upon a time in Narnia or something, there was a girl named Barbie, a blonde girl with brilliant sapphire eyes, walking around the streets of her city. The beautiful blue sky was clear of any cloud with flocks of birds passing the towering buildings, occasionally dropping some strange white drippings on unsuspecting victims.

SUDDENLY, freakin Godzilla tore apart the skyscrapers with his huge freakin hands, glaring at Barbie. Then he spoke in freakin Japanese(with english subtitles displayed at the bottom of course  
), "YO DAWGS! I' M HERE TO EAT ALL YO PEOPLE UP IN DIS CRIB!"

Well, Barbie will not let 75% of her city be destroyed(because freakin Godzilla already destroyed like 25.99% of the city). So, she flew up to freakin Godzilla's height(because a part of her is Kryptonian or something) and said, "Get set to get rekt, M8!"

Freakin Godzilla fired an energy beam from his mouth, only to be countered by Barbie's kamehameha. The battle was as epic as the final battle between Gohan and Cell(but screw Gohan because now he's a useless pile of sh*t).

In a matter of seconds, Barbie was defeated, lying bruised and smoking on the cement.

As freakin Godzilla laughed, the english sub titles said, "LOL! LOLZ! GET FOKING 4-STOCKED M8!"

Oh yeah!? Well, Barbie still hasn't unleashed her secret weapon! Time for…. Mr. T Rex! Cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dolls of war!

By playing Epona's Song on her ocarina, a giant stuffed T. Rex towered even freakin Godzilla and ate him with a single bite.

The end.

* * *

"That was fun!" Ethan said, handing Barbie and Mr. T. Rex back to Layla. Then he looked back at the textbook resting on the counter. "Actually… uh… can we play again?"

Layla smiled and nodded.

 **All right, end of chapter three. So, what did you think? Sorry if this chapter was a little crazy, but I promise next fluffy chap won't be as crazy as this. Till next time.**


	4. Cooking Dinosaur

eLayla stared at the useless green stick of a vegetable in her hand, waving it around like a wand in front of her disapproving face. She had just finished eating lunch alongside Ethan, in his room sitting on his table. The food was pretty good and she managed not to vomit at the sight of Ethan's bloody meal, but there was a problem.

Why is it always vegetables?

Back home, her dad would always let her have all the sugar her child-like mind could ever dream of. Her mom, however, absolutely despised giving even a single ounce of sugar to their child. The two completely opposite forces would constantly argue whether Layla could eat some sweets, especially during Halloween.

Owen would say, "She's a kid for crying out loud! Let her be one!"

Then Claire would shove her tablet in his face and say, "Look what it says! Do you know how many people get diabetes each year?"

And Owen would respond, "Fuck your tablet."

Though it would look bad for her future if one of her parent's backed down on his/her beliefs, the two were as resilient as they were loud. They both balanced each other out like Ying and Yang, managing to let Layla always have a decent amount of sugary foods each year.

But being on an island alone with her mother and with her father nowhere in sight...

You get the picture.

Which brings us to her question.

"Ethan, do you know how to make cookies?"

Ethan looked up at her just as he finished polishing blood off his glasses and placed them back on. He answered, "I'm afraid not. Though, I am certain I can learn from a cookbook that I may come across in the near future."

"Great!" the young girl cheered and hopped off her chair. "Let's go then!"

"Um, don't mind me asking, but where exactly do we _go_?"

"You said you can go anywhere, right?" He nodded, still a little confused over her little plan. "Then we're going to the kitchen that's in the big building!" she said while tying up her shoes. Once done, she grabbed Ethan's hand and dragged him towards the exit.

"B-But why?" he stuttered.

"You said you wanted more wobbies, right?" He nodded again. "Then you can try making cookies for me! My mommy and daddy always have a cookbook in the kitchen so there should be one here too! And if you start baking cookies for me, one day I know you'll be the greatest cook in the world!"

 _Cooking…_ Ethan pondered over the word as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. This was the first time _cooking_ ever crossed his mind. Usually because he never really cared whether his food was either raw and bloody or cooked to the human's sense of cooked. But if Layla really believes he can become the greatest cook that's ever lived, what's the harm in trying?

His expression beamed into a smile. "All right, let's go!"

* * *

Throughout the entire trip Layla was piggybacked by Ethan, and thanks to his strong powerful legs, the two made it to the park's kitchen in no time. There were no other signs of life around them. Instead was what a person would see in an average large kitchen. Countless pots and pans hanged over the tables and would create a clatter of music if even one of them were pushed, frozen meat stayed frozen in multiple freezers safe from turning rotten, ovens, stoves and the fryers stood neatly side by side awaiting for use, and the cupboards held all the seasonings and oils you could ever dream of.

This particular kitchen wasn't like the ones stationed in the park's various abandoned food stands that really only focused on like one type of food. This kitchen belongs to the hotel that used to be used solely for all park's guests, especially for those who spam room service. Sadly, hardly anyone uses it anymore because the _accident_ had scared off all its chefs from the island, and no chef in the world was really keen on living in an island full of crazy scientists and dinosaurs. That meant the scientists actually had to cook for themselves, and all of them weren't much of a master chef to be honest, which led to disastrous results. So it was mostly Cup Noodles three meals a day everyone. Yum!

But enough pointless exposition. Ethan cracked his fingers together. Time to start making some cookies!

Ethan was a total storm in the kitchen. While one hand held the cookbook, the other mixed and tossed ingredients left and right. Even his tail was helping out, zipping across the table behind him to grasp whatever he needs. His focus on the swirling bowl never wavered. Not even when escaped goop was shot all over his face and pink apron, he never lost focus.

So focused in fact, Layla couldn't get his attention no matter what she tried. Tugging his pink apron for example wouldn't work. The only time he actually paid the human any mind was when he caught her trying to put in some foreign ingredient into the mixture. He roared for her attention, clattering all the pots and pans. "Lalya, what do you think you're doing!"

"Adding orange juice so it can taste like orange juice?" she whimpered. "What's the big deal?"

"The big deal?" Ethan puffed out his chest with pride and said with powerful passion,"The big deal is that cooking IS AN ART. It's like creating famous masterpieces like the Mona Lisa!"

"Mona who?"

"And adding ingredients that you don't even know will make it more beautiful is like dumping gray paint all over it!"

"Soooooooooooo, do you want me to not bother you and-"

"YES!"

Layla was sure to sit still and shut her mouth the entire time.

Minutes later, Ethan came back to Layla with a tray of piping hot cookies in his pink oven mitted hands..

Layla plucked one off the tray, inspecting every part of it. The chocolate chips were melted into the soft golden texture of the cookie and the smell had that nice fresh cookie smell. Looks good, smells good, but now for the taste test.

"Oh, before you consume the cookie, I must warn you that I added a few ingredients that weren't described in the cookbook," Ethan said, gripping his tail nervously. "But I swear my only intentions were to increase the flavors just for you."

Layla's warm smile eased his worries. Such a nice friend she's lucky to have.

Then, without another thought, she took a gentle bite.

…

...

And coughed it out seconds later.

Ethan's jaw dropped.

"It tastes weird," she said simply as she placed the half bitten cookie back on the tray.

Ethan, a lost for words, clutched his apron right above where his shattered heart should be. "W….Weir….weird?". He took her small nod as a yes and both his head and tail sagged together in shameful shame. "Then I guess I'm really that bad…"

"No, you're not Ethan," she assured. "I know that if you try again, your cookies will taste even better! Believe it!" To prove her point, she gave him a thumbs up.

The dinosaur slammed his fist against the palm of his hand, determination coursing every part of his veins. "Right! I thank thee for thy support! And I swear on my honor, Layla, that I will continue creating masterpieces until YOU. ARE. SATISFIED!"

Now, with twice the speed and effort, Ethan went straight back into cooking.

To make sure he was ABSOLUTELY focused, Layla tugged on his apron, and, like last time, seemed completely devoted to his art.

What could he be thinking?

 _Add more love!_ his heart said.

 _Add more sugar_ his brain said.

A few more tries to see if Ethan was COMPLETELY distracted, Layla walked back to her seat, pulled the tray of still warm cookies closer, and stuffed half a dozen into her mouth.

There's no way Layla could lie to Ethan about his cookies, especially if they were this good! Yes, she said his cookies were weird, but weird in a GOOD WAY. It was weird how the cookie exploded into an explosion of flavor inside her mouth. It was weird how the cookie shut down every function of her senses except for touch and taste. It was weird how the cookie left a trail of lingering sweetness she could taste even when it's down her throat. And it was weird how the cookie made her stomach growl, not out of hunger, but for more.

And Layla technically didn't trick him into making more of his cookies because she technically didn't lie.

 _Because lying is bad_ her mother would say.

 _So try to find a loophole_ her father would say.

By the time Ethan came back with a whole new tray of steaming cookies, he found the earlier batch he made gone. Not even a crumb. "Layla, what happened to the weird cookies I made?" he asked with pure curiosity.

"I…. ah…. got rid of them" she answered with pure honesty.

The dino shrugged his shoulders and placed the tray over the old one, never catching the gleam in her eyes. "Hmmm… well… I do hope that you won't rid of this new batch I made. This time, I've added more ingredients that should add a bit more taste than the last. So enjoy!"

Layla licked her hungry lips. "Yes I will…."


	5. Afraid

Ethan sat in the middle of the room facing the one-way mirror while fidgeting nervously in his chair. On the other side of the glass, Claire waited patiently for Dr. Malcolm to start the test.

Today's test is simple really. Just show Ethan a quick video and then everyone's done today. Easy money.

"Now Ethan…." Dr. Malcolm spoke through the room's speakers. "I already know by experience that you're not a big fan of violence, but do me a favor try not to vomit out your lunch. Just sit tight and watch."

Ethan simply nodded.

Darkness enveloped the room as the light dimmed into a faint candle. And the one-way window started no longer reflected Ethan's dark room, but flashed into something more like a movie screen.

The dinosaur did his best to keep his quivering eyelids apart as events unfolded on the screen. The film seemed to take place in some sort of ancient coliseum in Rome except that it didn't look quite so ancient on screen. The background had crowds of people screaming off their seats for the two gladiators fighting in the arena. Both warriors were bloodied and panting madly, but their yells of fury soon resparked their intense battle. Their swords and shields clashed against each other and left sparks along with blood arcing across the air.

The battle was long and hard fought, but it soon came to the victor standing victorious over his fallen opponent, staring at the crowd for their decision.

They all held a thumbs down.

An insane smile crept onto the gladiator's smile as he knelt and raised his gleaming sword into the air. The fallen gladiator whimpered, but that only seemed to increase the insanity in the winner's smile. Then, without wasting another second, the winner plunged the sword straight through his foe's neck, splattering blood on both their faces. He didn't even stop there. He kept driving his sword back inside the dying flesh, the look of glee intensifying with each revel of blood.

Much to Ethan's relief, the film ended there and the light returned.

"So, what did you think?" Dr. Malcolm spoke once again through the speakers.

Ethan struggled to keep his lunch contained. "Like I want to exert my insides."

Dr. Malcolm typed the dino's answer on his computer before continuing. "All right, now I want you to know that the next question is being asked by the system; not by me since I already have the answer, but they wanna hear it from you. Got it?"

Ethan gulped.

"Ethan, we feed you bloody corpses of animals nearly every single day, so why does seeing another corpse, like the gladiator for example, getting mutilated freak you out? Isn't it the same as you tearing apart your own meal?"

Sighing and fixing his modified glasses in place, the dinosaur responded hesitantly, "I... can't really explain it thoroughly, but I guess it's because the gladiator was still alive…."

"Go on…." the scientist encouraged.

 _Deep breathes, Ethan,_ the dino told himself. "I felt sorry for the gladiator because I saw it in his eyes that he desperately wanted to live… even when his murderer kept stabbing away any chances of life he had left…. his eyes continued to struggle for survival. And the gladiator smiling madly for that just makes me sick. There's no pleasure in killing another life."

Silence was all there was left, and for moment, Ethan worried that he had been abandoned.

"Thank you for your time, Ethan."

Suddenly, the door was almost broken open as Layla rushed out. Ethan had no time to react as she ran straight for him and attacked him with one hell of a tight murder hug that squeezed the breath out of him. Then she looked up at him with worried eyes, "Mommy told me you were taking a hard test. Did you get an A on it?"

He couldn't help but chuckle at her obliviousness as he gently stroked her hair. This human can be so darn cute sometimes.

* * *

This time, Claire wasn't staring at her tablet, but at Dr. Malcolm with a question swarming around her brain.

"What?" was all the scientist could say.

"Oh nothing," Claire said, tapping a finger against her arm. "Just wondering what you meant when you said _I know by experience._ "

Sometimes, it's best to do what a woman tells you to do. Especially if that woman is Claire. So he pulled down the clothing off his right shoulder, revealing horribly scarred skin like it was mauled by some vicious animal.

"Oh god…." Claire said, vainly trying to cover up her gasp with her hands. "Did… did Ethan do that?"

* * *

 _Ethan had trouble in even taking a single step. Everywhere around him, swarms of flying reptiles of different sizes, whether small or as big as a freakin car, relentlessly swooped down and plucked the mass of screaming humans who ran in vain, flying to god knows where. Some were accidentally dropped and had their heads completely crushed like watermelons. Others, who haven't been caught yet, simply gave up and stayed on the spot, crying as they awaited their fate._

" _C'mon Ethan, we gotta go!" Dr. Malcolm shouted as he dragged the young experiment towards the jeep. Somehow, nobody noticed the two. Maybe because Ethan looked just too nerdy to be scary. That, or death from above._

 _The two were so close, like in hand on the door handle close, but a winged beast suddenly dropped and perched itself on top of the jeep. It released a bone-chilling screech and snapped at them, prompting the two to backed away to a safe distance from the creature. However, soon a handful of them dropped from the sky and surrounded the two; all snapping their sharp beaks with each step they took towards their helpless prey._

 _But they all froze when they noticed Ethan._

 _One Pteranodon, the biggest one of them all, took a step towards Ethan and lowered its head. "What are you?" it spoke._

 _Struggling, and at the same time confused, Ethan responded, "Wha… what am I?"_

 _Without warning, the beast reared its ugly head towards the chaos filled sky and screamed, " I should've known: you are one of them! You speak our oppressor's language, wear their disgusting clothing, and follow them around like a pathetic pet! Die like the rest of them!" The beast then aimed its sharp beak at Ethan at unavoidable speeds, but one good punch to the head from Dr. Malcolm stopped it in its tracks. The rest became stunned(because who wouldn't be when a human punches a huge reptile in the face) and Dr. Malcolm took that time to push Ethan out of the circle._

" _Run Ethan! Run!" he said as the beasts shook off their shock and crowded around the defenseless scientist._

 _Ethan, too scared to even move off his butt, just sat their and watched in absolute terror as each and every one of them mauled Dr. Malcolm on the spot. The human fought bravely, punching, kicking, and pushing away their beaks, but his strength slowly dwindled until one lucky beak caught his right shoulder and pushed him back against the ground._

" _Stop it! Stop!" Ethan cried and jumped to his feet. He couldn't heard. The screeching "die die die!"and the painful screams from Dr. Malcolm combined were just too much. And when he saw dripping flesh in the Pteranodon's beak, something deep inside him snapped. His once fearful eyes dilated into feral red orbs and his vision transformed into a hazy blood mist. "Stop it..." he whispered with growing maliciousness. Then, with a tremendous roar, "I SAID STOP!"_

…

…

" _Ethan, snap out of it!"_

 _The experiment felt like he had awoken from a nightmare. The hazy blood mist that clouded his reverting eyes dispersed and revealed Dr. Malcolm shaking him awake with his one good arm. His clothes were left ripped and drenched in his own blood. Speaking of blood, a whole lot of it dripped down his right arm like a faucet coming from his mutilated shoulder._

" _Dr. Malcolm, what happened to the-" he began, but froze mid sentence. Around them were lifeless corpses of the Pteranodons who all had their long necks viciously torn apart and leaked pools of blood. And when Ethan took a whiff of the air with his snout, he found not only was there blood on the dead Pteranodons, but everywhere on himself too. Shirt; claws; head; glasses; nothing was left unpainted._

 _Dr. Malcolm grabbed his bloodied hand and rushed him inside the jeep, locking all the doors. But before the scientist drove off, he looked back to find Ethan quivering uncontrollably in his seat as he gripped his tail nervously. The dinosaur peered through the window where humans were still being swept up by the never ending waves of the flying reptiles. Then he looked at him, nearly tearing up. "Dr. Malcolm, I'm scared…." he whimpered._

 _Sighing, the scientist rubbed his snout trying to ease his worries. "I know you are, Ethan, but we'll get out of here alive. I promise…."_

It was that time, Ethan finally awoke from his dream.

The combination of darkness and his absent glasses made it a bit hard to see, but he was glad to find that he's still safely in his room and nowhere near that nightmare.

"Ethan, go to sleep…" Layla yawned in his scaly arms.

"I-I can't" he said. "I'm scared."

Layla, half asleep, shoved Mr. T Rex all over his face. "Then here. Mr. T Rex will protect you like he does every night for me."

"But what if-" Ethan began, but Layla interjected with a pretty loud snore as she snuggled deeper into his chest. Well, Layla's out, and he could somehow see his death if he tried waking her up again. He tore Mr. T Rex off his face. Without his glasses, he's basically blind as a bat, but if he could squint hard enough, and add that to his ability to somewhat see in the dark, he could make out the doll's googly eyes staring right at him.

 _It's just a stupid doll_ his unimpressed brain said.

 _Protect me Mr. T Rex sama sensei senpai san sama chan!_ his scared heart pleaded.

"Daddy…" Layla mumbled. "Don't make me punch you in the face…"

Ethan smiled and carefully tucked Mr. T Rex under the human's arm. Then he lowered his head to gently nuzzle her baby soft face, purring pleasantly at the same time.

 _I don't need to be afraid_ he thought as he gave her one loving lick against her cheek. _I have humans here to protect me…_

 _What about me!_ Mr. T Rex complained in his head.

 _Uh…. yeah… you too_


	6. Say Uncle

"Ethan, stop!" Layla cried as she was viciously attacked by the large dinosaur in his very own bed. She kicked and screamed like a wild animal, but no matter how hard she begged or fought, she just couldn't get Ethan's heavy body off her own.

"No," Ethan growled as he continued his relentless assault. "Hearing your own screams gives me pure satisfaction…"

"But…. but…." she barely managed to breathe out as tears streamed down her tortured face. "It tickles!"

Another feral growl. "Precisely…" he whispered dangerously before his long rough tongue continued to mutilate her face with unrelenting force, and by the looks of how her crying laughter restrained her from doing practically anything, victory was absolutely absolute. BUT, because Ethan was too busy with his onslaught, he didn't notice Layla's small hands slowly creep up to the pits of his armpits. Then, without warning, felt a flurry of 10 wiggling fingers forcing force on every possible spot.

A giggle threatened to emerge, but Ethan shoved it down his throat.

Seconds later, it came back with a vengeance and stronger than before, but with a little more effort, the dino successfully defeated the evil.

However, third time's a charm.

This time, Ethan's raging laughter was uncontrollable and he was no longer able to keep dog licking Layla's triumphant face. And noticing the opportunity, while still tickling the laughing dino without mercy, the human rolled his heavier frame so that SHE was the torture master on top with her victim ready to be abused below.

"Enough! I yield! I yield!" Ethan begged, his legs, arms, and even his tail lashing just about everywhere fighting for freedom, but to no avail.

Layla only increased the tickling magnitude. "Not until you say _uncle…._ "

 _Do it! Do it! I can't take this pain anymore!_ his pleading heart laughed out loud.

 _Don't do it! Admitting defeat is a sign of weakness!_ his brain angrily interjected.

"Uncle! Uncle!"

 _Scrub…_

Layla's tickles finally came to a halt at the moment of Ethan's defeat, much to his relief. Now, taking in the silence, Ethan was simply lying in his bed breathing heavily together with the young girl sitting comfortably on his torso.

"I win again!" Layla cheered victoriously, fist pumping the air.

Usually, a comment like that would make anyone salty, but Ethan being the kind gentledino he is, just smile and gently placed his hand on the back of her head, Layla made no objection as she was pulled into his scaly but affectionate embrace with her cheeks on his leathery neck and head under his muzzle.

In the beginning, Ethan despised even the thought of committing the barbaric act known as _play fighting_ because he thought it only something wild animals would do. However, with enough persistence from one little girl, he was ultimately introduced into the wonders and fun of trying to make your friend almost die of laughter before they admit defeat.

Though if there's one thing Ethan still despised about the game, it's the fact that he can't beat Layla in it no matter how hard he tries. Probably because the dinosaur was ticklish just about anywhere.. Neck, ribs, armpits stomach, you name it.

"Let's go again," Ethan said with determination. "This time, I'll make persuade you to spell out _uncle_ instead of saying it. If you can spell it of course."

Hearing this, Layla wiggled out of his hug and stared down at him with her hands on his chest and forming a mischievous grin. "You're on…"


	7. Bye

Today was a pretty nice day.

The clear blue ocean perfectly mirrored the bright marshmallow clouds floating lazily in the air. A gentle breeze swept across the island that managed to cool the late summer heat. Flocks of gulls flew screeched together in harmony as they flew around the two towering mountains that sandwiched the airway leading towards the ocean.

But today was a sad day.

Ethan stood side by side with Dr. Malcolm, watching one poor man dragging a huge pile of luggage into the small plane. Ethan had deduced three quarters of that luggage belonged to Claire. And the last one-fourth of it was the pink backpack slung over Layla's shoulder, crammed with the various dolls she owns. But Mr. T Rex will always be tucked safely in her arms, ready to be used incase she needs to whack someone with him.

Though, right now, Layla didn't really feel whacking anybody with anything.

As Ethan knelt to the small human's level, she rushed into the dinosaur's embrace without a moment's hesitation. His scales were a bit rough and his loud purr can be easily mistaken for a threatening growl, but love was clearly written all over the two.

The two stayed like that for what Ethan wished would be an eternity of just listening to her soft breathing and nuzzling against her even softer skin, but all good things must come to an end.

"Layla, we got to go!," Claire called from the steps of the plane that roared to life. "Your father won't let me hear the end of it if I leave you here!"

"But Mommy, what if I don't want to go!" she whined and Ethan tightened the embrace.

Deep down, he wished he could support her innocent cause, but he had to face the facts. She's human, and compared to him, he's nothing more than what her kind would consider a _monster._ Not only that, she has a life outside of the island where she can go to school, make new friends and memories, and discover her place in life. And Ethan? He had already accepted his fate to be forever contained in this island and experimented just like any creature, and in a way, he felt content with that kind of life. "Once you grow up and make actual human friends, you probably won't even want to see me again..." he accidently slipped out.

"What?" Layla pouted. "You know I'll never leave you alone because you're my friend you big dummy! I'll see you next summer just like a promised, remember!"

He was almost tearing up at this point. "Why? Why would you waste your precious time seeing a simple animal like me?"

"Because I love you, stupid."

Hearing those sweet words, the dino felt no reason to hold back any of his restrained tears as he quickly removed his glasses to make a futile attempt to wipe away his dripping tears. " _Arigatō… Layla-san…_ " he whispered, not louder than a breathe.

"Hold on, before I go, I wanna give you something."

Ethan had to blink to make sure he was seeing it right. Held out and sitting comfortably in the palms of Layla's small hands was… Mr. T Rex?

"My mommy said Santa made him for my birthday, but I want you to have him."

The dinosaur used a few good seconds staring into the other dino's googly eyes.

 _Sup fam_ a strange voice said in his head that` he quickly shook off. Once he got over his shock, he found Layla already at the steps plane, waving her hand off. "Bye Ethan! I'll miss you!"

"Bye…" he croaked just about as weak as his own waving hand was.

A gentle hand touched Ethan's shoulder. "Listen, I know now might not be the best time for presents," Dr. Malcolm said as the plane took off through the road tortoise speed, "but the system asked me to ask you to record the feelings, thoughts, and experiences you had with the kid, so I thought I'd give this." A tape recorder about the size of a trading card was placed into Ethan's hand. "All right, so I admit that the tape recorder's not as fancy or expensive as Claire's damn tablet, but I'll have you know that little gizmo there can fetch me a few 20 bucks on ebay, so don't you go breaking that thing on me, got it?"

Ethan wasn't listening. He was too busy staring blankly at his gift. Was he really suppose to record every single moment of fun he had with Layla into this little device? His new experiences? His new happiness? Then say it all ended with him saying a simple bye?

He shifted his gaze to Mr. T Rex who, as always, stared at him with googly eyes.

 _My mommy said Santa made him for my birthday, but I want you to have him._

No! He will not let things end with a simple _bye_! It's unthinkingly nonsensical deficient puerile inane moronic ridiculousness! **(BTW: I Googled these words)** Or in simpler terms, it's just plain stupid.

His eyes darted back to the speed growing plane and his pupils dilated into feral slits.

"Ethan, what are you-" Dr. Malcolm began, but the dinosaur was already off rushing towards the fleeing plane with incredible speed.

Each second the plane grew ever faster, but so did Ethan.

The wind smacked at his face, the rocky road graveled his feet, and the loud roar of the plane pinched his hearing, but he still ran at full unwavering strength,

 _Let the power of love inspire you!_ his heart cheered.

 _Just run faster_ his brain said, imaginary arms crossed.

Soon, the dinosaur managed to be side by side with the plane and he could see clearly Layla sticking her face out the window with a dumbfounded expression all over. Ethan smiled and waved.

However, the aircraft soon took off at the point where the heavy waves crashed against the island's edge, thus stopping Ethan in his tracks, but with his prepared muzzle between his hands, he felt ready to shout out what he wanted to say… what he truly wanted to tell her. And Layla was practically merged with the window ready to hear his final words that will echo across time itself.

…

…

…

...

"SANTA CLAUS ISN'T REAL!" he roared, shattering the very heavens, and pretty much Layla's heart.

* * *

 **Log 1**

 _I suppose an explanation is in order for why I probably destroyed a child's dream._

 _Santa Claus is foolish legend told to foolish children about an overweight man who breaks into people's houses by somehow fitting through the chimney. I couldn't stand by and let my friend be tricked into believing such a ridiculous tale._

 _That aside, I guess should start with what my caretakers intended for me to do in the first place._

 _My time with the child has certainly changed me. I suddenly want to entertain myself in the park, make an entire world with dolls *_ **cough cough*** _I mean… action figures… heh heh… , test out my masterful skills of cooking, and win at least one game of play fight against my rival. Because of that, I can feel myself becoming more human each day, but I know just one look at the mirror I remind myself of what I really am._

 _So I'm starting to ponder, is this a good thing?_

 _Whatever the case, I'm glad to have met Layla. And what I truly TRULY wanted to tell her was that…_

 _I love her too._

 **To answer some questions, the events that's been happening is when Layla's still a 6 year old kid and Ethan's about 13, and I kind of like to call what's happening right now the Child Arc, then it will start to move on to the Teenage Arc. You know, when Layla's a stupid teenager. That's right, I called teenagers stupid, but to be fair, I am a stupid almost 16 year old currently in high school.**

 **Anyways fav and review plz.**


	8. A New Look and A New You

Just like Layla promised, the little girl would jump back right into the big old dino's scaly but lovable embrace after an entire year of separation. And each time she had to jump a little higher because Ethan seemed to grow at least three more inches with each visit. He grew so much in fact, Layla now had to be plucked off the ground by him just so they could resume their traditional friendly friend hug. Then the little girl in his arms would then mumble something into his strong chest about how embarrassing it was for her while Ethan would just laugh and lick her adorable wittle face.

However, he wasn't the only one growing up.

Layla morphed from an adorable five/six year old who obsessed over plastic dolls, to a phone abusing teenager who kept getting new said phones with apparent _new features_ from her mother since seven. Habits aside, her appearance also made a change through time. Her orange hair that once only fell to her neck now cascaded down to her shoulders like fiery water. And her once childlike blue eyes were now fierce and gave off a rebellious glare that demanded you to screw off. And height? She didn't actually grow that much. Maybe like a few five or six inches, but nothing compared to Ethan.

Anyways, the two's usual antics have changed a bit over the years.

These days, Ethan likes consider himself a _master chef_. And in order to accommodate that role, he requested for a mini kitchen to be installed in his large room so he can create his culinary art and make Layla his perfect test subject; not that she minded of course. She especially loved bloating her belly with his stupidly ridiculous intricate cakes that took him like at least a DAY of unblinking eyes and frozen breathing as he tried planting the strawberry on top of the most absolutely perfect and most symmetrical spot. Though, his pastries aren't the only things she liked stuffing her mouth with. Ethan also created a crap ton of foreign foods that Layla had never seen or heard of.

One time, Ethan offered Layla a bowl of roasted hopefully dead insects on a stick seasoned with whatever the hell you season bugs with.

"It has…" she mumbled between loud crunches "a lot of flavor…"

Her face was easy to read. "Oh, ok…" Ethan sighed as his claws drew over the bowl so he could rid himself of his failure.

Layla's own hand smacked his hand away. "I didn't say you could have some!" she growled and armed herself with another insects on a stick.

And whenever Layla wasn't available, the scientists inhabiting the island were the next perfect test subjects for him to experiment on.

It all began when he offered Dr. Malcolm and a group of other scientist a plate of classic sushi made with the salty rice created only by him, the raw fish caught fresh from the ocean, and the seaweed hand-plucked out from the bottom and roasted to perfection (Ethan is a really good swimmer apparently).

They were all reluctant at first, tapping their fingers together and coughing uncomfortably, that is, until Dr. Malcolm took the great big step and swallowed one down the hole.

A shit scramble happened and the entire plate was licked clean after that.

His cooking became so popular in fact, some random guy decided to make him head chef of the entire park. And to prove Ethan's promotion, he was given a simple cooking apron and one of those fancy chef hats that limped off his head. It actually looked kind of ridiculous on him, but he didn't care. He was proud to wear it.

Although, a master chef can't feed hundreds of hungry scientists on a big giant island alone. And either because the park couldn't hire some amateur cooks from across the ocean because the whole _experiments_ thing is supposed to be a secret from the outside world, or they were just plain stingy with their money, the scientists themselves became Ethan's servants in the hotel's super large kitchen.

Now, the scientists weren't scared working with him just because he looks like a big scary monster from rated R horror movie. It's BECAUSE he WAS a big scary monster whenever you make the _slightest_ mistake in his kitchen.

The absolute smallest hint of the food being over or undercooked? You'd get sent to dish washing duty as he watched you go with hatred burning fiercely in his predatory eyes.

Too much salt? Prepare to have your fucking ears bleed from his powerful roar of supreme anger.

Accidently drop a plate of one of his master pieces and have it plop all over the floor just when it barely came out of the oven? He'd point his sharp claw towards the exit and tell you to **G.T.F.O**. That's right humans.

 **G** et.

 **T** he.

 **F** uck.

 **O** ut.

He didn't even want to look at as you left with head down in shame.

But of course, Layla knew that he's not always the angry beast. That's really only in the kitchen. He's more of a crying nerdy sissy.

So one day in the dino's room, Layla and Ethan were sitting comfortably on the large green couch with eyes glued to the large flat screen TV hanging on the wall, which both items were obtained through the little girl's request that Ethan should request, watching the Hunger Games. Then when mother fucking Rue **** (no spoilers), Ethan started wailing like a complete baby, squeezing the preteen with his strong sorrowful hug.

"Ethan, you're crushing me!" she whined as she fought valiantly to free herself from his death hug but to no avail.

"But I'm so sad!" he wailed.

"I don't care! It's just a movie!"

Sports were another example. If you throw a basketball, baseball, football, or even a Frisbee at him, Ethan will rear up one leg, shield his scaredy cat face with his hands, and cry out, "Not the face!" Then later the ball would bounce harmlessly off his steel-hard scales.

Despite his unforgiving rage and cowardice towards thrown projectiles and crybaby issues, he was happy. And he has no one other to thank than Claire and her child.

However, her solution turned out to be a temporary solution.

With each soul wrenching goodbye Ethan had to endure, the loneliness and longing he radiated only increased as he would do nothing but lay down on his bed, gazing into Mr. T Rex's lifeless googly eyes with his own. While so his heart would persevere through the long days waiting for his dear friend's return while his brain would calculate just how much time was left.

Really, it looked worse compared to when Ethan never met Layla at all.

So Claire came up with another solution. The magic of technology.

It was about nine excruciating months since Layla and Ethan last embraced each other and onto their separate lives, but today, the way how Claire explained to her 14 year old daughter back in their home, it seemed like they were gonna see each other. Yet it won't be through their eyes this time. This time, it's gonna be through the eyes of a computer monitor.

Apparently, Ethan has a laptop. Although the idea did come from Claire, it was Dr. Malcolm who had to buy the damn expensive thing on Amazon. But as long as it's gonna make Ethan happy, he's okay with it. Just as long as Claire pays at least half of the expenses.

So Ethan, 22 years old, was sitting nervously in his chair gripping his shaky tail that fought for release, awaiting to see his close friend for the first time in forever since like nine months ago. All she had to do was to answer his call on screen.

Before she did eventually answer, Ethan admitted he had never seen a girl's room before. Through the books he's read and pictures he's seen, he'd guessed that Layla's room would be a typical girly girl room. Messy with disapproved clothes scattered across the floor in an over worldly pink room with hints of cheap perfume fragrance flowing in the air. A mirror would be placed on top of a table where all the makeup imaginable would be ready to use on any time. And let's not forget the stupid posters of young _famous_ singers permanently glued to the wall where they will worshipped for an eternity by fangirls.

One second later, all his beliefs were shattered.

Layla's room was nowhere near what he predicted. Instead of girly clothes scattered across the ground were left open pizza boxes each a different topping ranging from dead anchovies to an entire surface of meat, half-eaten hot pockets spewing out their insides onto their respective plates, and an unfinished Cup Noodles cup with fork still plunged in there like Excalibur were there releasing the fragrance of junk food rather than cheap perfume. And the posters? They weren't the kind of posters you'd normally see a girl have plastered everywhere on their walls. Each and every individual poster had at least one random guy holding at least one gun towards the outside world, giving off the feeling that they could shoot you at any given time. The only difference? Each poster had a different name different from its neighbors representing the game they're supposed to advertise. Halo, Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Counter Strike are barely one eighth of the family.

Speaking of guns, though he could not see it, the sounds of gun fire blasting away and grenades exploding things into oblivion were clearly emanating from a TV far from the camera's reach. A video game perhaps?

"Hey scrubs, STOP FRICKIN CAMPING AND FIGHT ME!" Layla herself, sitting her knees on top of her barely neat bed, screamed into the mic encased around her orange head. The controller in her hands vibrated worriedly as she began to crush it in her fury. And by the looks of it, she probably doesn't even know he's there.

Definitely a video game.

"Um, Layla… can your ears perceive what I'm saying?"

To his utter joy, her head actually started to turn towards the computer screen, but she wasn't really planning on giving her friend the old "Hi!" and "I miss you!" crap. She had more of "Shut the hell up and lemme play goddammit!" kind of thing in mind. The kind of thing her father would say to her mother really.

But when she took one good long look at him, and I mean a really long look, the controller in her hand crashed against the soft mattress, echoing across the room.

For as long as she's known Ethan, he's been always bit lean in muscle with a lithe body that had barely noticeable abs. Now, looking at him in the first time in forever since like nine months... HE LOOKED JACKED. Every single part of his body was ripe with thick power that would put even a pro wrestler to shame. Broad shouldered, tree trunk arms, big powerful legs, and everything. And evidently, there's no such thing as a third xtra in an xtra xtra large T shirt in the park's gift shop. To solve this, the huge dinosaur was given a very flexible muscle shirt that really showed off his powerfully broad muscles that bulged with every movement possible.

Ethan smiled a toothy grin. "Ah, I see you've noticed quite a few changes since we last encountered," he said, puffing up his impressive chest proudly.

"Really?" she croaked out between sarcastic and unbelief.

"Yep!" he cheered. "If you noticed, I no longer require my glasses because I'm wearing contacts!"

"Yeah... uh huh… totally didn't notice." The longer she stared, the more she became mesmerized by his new form. Especially his pecs. Sprouting from his chest was… chest hair? Wait, no. Scratch that. Taking a dive towards her screen and planting her face on it, his _hair_ was actually super-mini dark grey feathers coating most of what she's been able to see on his chest. Chest feathers? Also, they weren't just on his pecs either. It seemed like a whole bunch of it grew over his arms and ended to his fingertips, granting him an even manlier dinosaur appearance. To make things manlier, was that small patch of feathers growing below his muzzle a beard? "But what I did notice is your uh…" she pointed a wavy finger, "physique?"

"Oh these?" he said, flexing a little. "They say I had a bit of a late growth spurt, but if you ask me, a small growth spurt hardly contributed to me gaining this new physique. Since your last departure, my caretakers have asked to me go through a training program for an important event that I may undertake in the future. So its 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10 km run every single day! And that's just a warm up. I've been gallivanting around the island's gym, lifting weights that far exceeds the human capabilities! How I know? I've done an entire research paper about it! Care to read it?"

Instead of giving a definite answer, she merely chuckled and closed her eyes in pure satisfaction. "Heh, glad to know you're still the nerd I know and love."

"So is that a yes or a no?" he asked, confusion written all over.

"No."

"Aaaaaah," he sagged and whined like a baby.

Greeting now aside, they were finally able to catch up to what's been going on in their lives. Layla's life has been a tsunami of high school. You know, the usual. Life-draining homework, overwhelming notes, and stress bombing essays and finals. However, it looked like Ethan had it worse, the tests and experiments and all grew more difficult, but the way he said it made it sound like he actually enjoyed it. Apparently, the more he understood humanity, the more they could understand him.

Then they moved onto what they liked to do in their free time. Layla liked to spend her freedom reading some violent manga overflowing with action or shooting guns in her screen while enjoying a perfect meal of crunchy nacho cheese Doritos and a fresh sizzling cold bottle of mountain dew. Ethan preferred a more peaceful-healthy route. On most days, he would lay back on his couch reading either a newspaper or a book whose pages knew no end, and sometimes maybe written in an entirely different language from common English, all the while washing down an apple with a boring glass of either fresh tea or coconut water.

Their conversation was about as long as an argument over the internet, but once they did run out of things to talk, Lalya shut off the world around her so she could focus more of her handsome dinosaur. Though handsome may not be the only word she could describe him with. He was also a little… how should she put it… scary? The last time she saw him, the spines he had that grew over his head and ended to the very tip of his tail were short and blunt. They couldn't hurt you if you touched them, really. Now, even staring at them gave you the sensation of being stabbed all over. They've grown into thick curved black spikes and not to mention tall; the tallest standing at a good four inches. The loneliest and smallest stood proudly at the front of his snout and looked like Ethan could easily impale you with it if he wanted to, splattering your guts and all. That's not all that's sharp. His claws and teeth now seemed to be at their prime, gleaming and ready to rip apart anything. Add his giant muscular figure to his dangerous weapons, he has a threatening visage that you do not want to fuck with.

However, his red eyes and bright smile were as kind and happy as ever. They lulled her into being held by his big strong scaly arms and ever so gently pressed into his broad feathery chest, listening to his familiar soothing heartbeat. Then his claws would trace her small back with absolute carefulness that practically showed his consideration. Then his teeth came close and breathed warmth to her sensitive ears, whispering the words, "I love you" over and over again.

"Layla, I think I've lost you again," the real Ethan spoke up, rudely snatching her away from her perfect daydream.

"Jerk!" she shouted, blushing with a mean pout.

"Huh?"

"You heard what I said!" At this point she was refusing to stare at him.

Then suddenly, the clatter of a chair being rolled off. "Gomen'nasai!"

She opened one eye, staring at him with curiosity. This time, Ethan was sitting on his knees, eyes shut tight, head bowed, and hands clapped together. Some kind of apology. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Layla! I did not mean in any way to offend you so please don't resent me! Please still be entitled as my friend!"

Layla smiled. As if she would ever leave her nerdy dinosaur alone. "I forgive you..." she whispered and Ethan's heart broke into relief.

"And I love you…" he whispered back, eyes back open and a content grin forming.

"Shut up!"

And he was back to where he started. "Gomen'nasai!"

 **Log 2**

 _I apologized the most effective way I could think of: an ancient traditional bow of respect that was sure to work. And it did… as expected._

 _However, as soon as I said the words "I love you" she instantly refused to converse with me. Not even my earlier stance of apology had any effect._

 _In the end, the only solution was that I promised I would make her favorite meals the moment she sets foot on the island, which is pretty much everything due to the fact that every food I create is consumed by her. Not to be disrespectful in any way, I assure you._

 _Anyways, talking with Layla after for so long felt more refreshing than ever. Though I do admit, talking again after so long did make me ponder over some thoughts._

 _She's very… how should I place this… different from what I thought she would be, but then again, I guess I should've made that conclusion long ago from the moment I met her. No longer is she the child I once knew, but a rambunctious teenager whose aspects completely differentiates from mine._

 _But I have no quarrel over our differences because I still hold true to the words I've told her. In fact, our differences actually make me want to understand her even more than I do now. However, that can only be possible face to face, not through the face of a simple computer._

 _I just have to wait. For now, talking with her is all need for a head start._

 **Review for fun!**


	9. Pets?

**Day 1**

"Is this some form of a jest?" Ethan said, staring down at the small human with surprise.

Layla folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "Hey, you should feel lucky. When I asked for a pet goldfish my dad was all for it. We were gonna go to the carnival, win those rigged games where you throw a ball in a cheap colorful cup, and everything. My mom though, she kept on complaining about how I'm gonna forget to feed the fish. I'm 15! I don't forget things! Well… I did forget to put water in the Cup Noodles once before I put it in the microwave… but that was only one time!" Then embarrassment rubbed her arm. "One time every two or three months anyways…"

The dino nodded in understanding, but still utterly confused. Curled up and sleeping peacefully in his left palm was a small little kitten. It yawned a weak adorable yawn, stretched its fluffy small limbs and nimble tail, and then went back to snoozing in its scaly bed. And contradicting to his left's peacefulness, his right hand secured a hyper active puppy desperately trying to relinquish Ethan's strong hold so it could run up and lap up his master's muzzle in loving slobber.

Giving Ethan the responsibility of pets is yet another experiment conjured from the system to see how well he does with other animals. Choosing the kind of pets the dino would have was the hard part. Claire chose something simple: a small orange kitten bought straight from the pet shop for maybe about 300 dollars, but its cuteness was worth it! Just one look at her glittering emerald eyes will melt you like that witch who got doused with water. The dog however, was completely free! If you don't count the thousands of dollars spent into mixing the genes of a German Shepard and a velociraptor inside an oversized test tube, anyways. From afar, nobody could really tell there's nothing ordinary about the pup, but up close the canine's head resembled much like the ferocious reptilian predator but with brown/black fur, a shiny black nose at the tip of his snout, chocolate eyes, and emotion indicators in the form of pointy doggy ears. Then there's his scaly dog paws with unnaturally large sharp claws and long furred serpentine tail wagging with uncontrollable excitement.

Dr. Malcolm was the one who suggested a dog.

 _I love animals! They're so cute!_ his heart cheered.

 _I absolutely despise these creatures. They're a nuisance_ his brain stated.

"Am I really supposed to give care to these creatures?' Ethan asked.

Layla patted his arm assumingly. "What else are you going to do with them? Leave them out the in the streets? They're only a few months old. Besides, you've probably already read some old crummy textbook about pet care or something."

"Of course I have, why wouldn't I? But actually having the presence of this responsibility in reality…"

The human chuckled and motioned the dinosaur to lower his palm to her height. Carefully, she took the sleeping kitten and cradled the bundle of orange fur in her arms. Squirming a little, the feline snuggled into her new bed. "Well, don't worry because you should feel lucky that I'm here. I can totally help!"

"And exactly what help will you provide?" he eye browed as the pup's efforts finally pulled off. He scaled up his master's arm and jumped right on his shoulder.

"I can start with the names."

The German velociraptor licked Ethan's head. "Names?"

"Yeah, names! And they gotta be cool too! You know like Naruto, Sasuke, Ichigo, Ryuga, and maybe even Genos!" She counted each name each with a finger. "Just make sure it's not something lame like Goku or something. Oh, there're other cool names like Luffy, Zoro, Natsu, Saitama- "

"Shakespeare," Ethan interrupted.

"What you wanna shake?"

Ethan grinned and shook his head. "No no no. I mean I want to name my canine friend, Shakespeare."

Layla bit her lips and crossed her eyes. A million thoughts were in and out of her head, but she couldn't find the right one. Even the dog stopped wagging his tail and tried to think who the heck was Shakespeare, but came to the same result as the human. The cat just rolled over and snored. "Who's Shakespeare?"

"Surely, you must've read one of his fine works in your school."

"I read comics books in school. Does that count?"

"Sadly, no."

"Whatever, Ethan. Is this Shakespeare guy even cool?"

Suddenly, his stance grew taller and prideful. "If you count his numerous works of masterful pieces of literature that arguably birthed an entire new era… then yes; I believe him to be _cool_ as you put it. Which is why I wish for my dog to be named after my second favorite human, Shakespeare!"

"Um… are you sure? He sounds a little-"

Not a word reached his ear holes. Very gently, one hand wrapped around the German velociraptor's form and Ethan held him inches away from his muzzle. "How about it? Shall I forever dub thee Shakespeare?"

Somehow, the dog understood Nerd. Shakespeare barked happily in agreement.

"Then it's settled. Welcome Shakespeare!" he cheered and squeezed Shakespeare with joy as he barked in appreciation.

Layla groaned and slapper her forehead. "Really? Fine, but at least give your cat-"

"Antoinettte!"

"Antoinwhonow?"Taking a deep breathe, Ethan prepared a spoken three-paged-essay answer, but knowing the risks of how brain-dead it would make her, she quickly interjected. "Never mind. Just… just ask your damn cat if she likes it and see how that goes."

He crouched down and massaged Antoinette's perky ears, stirring her from her sleep as she turned her head towards the gleeful dino and revealed her sleepy gaze. "Good morning, _Antoinette._ "

Holy cuteness morphed into terrible terror. The kitten retracted her ears and head far away as possible, baring razor white fangs that no cat so young should have yet as she glared Ethan with demonic emerald eyes. "Uhh…" Ethan promptly backed away wary of her unsheathed knives and Shakespeare cowered in fear.

"I think she knows your names sucks, Ethan," Layla giggled and held the still somewhat adorably sadistic feline inches from her face. "So how about I name you … Ginger!"

Upon that one word, Ethan hanged both head and tail up high with smug. Really? Ginger? How does a plain unoriginal name, _Ginger,_ fare any better than his super special awesome fancy Mcfancy name, _Antoinette_? Almost feeling guilty, he couldn't wait for Antoinette to at least show some disgust by giving out a good swipe across Layla's falsely triumphant face.

Terrible terror morphed into holy cuteness. Ginger closed her eyes in satisfaction and gave off an adorable little smile that could melt ice faster than the sun. "Meow," she meowed.

 **Day 5**

"Aaaaahh, you're so cute, Ginger," Layla said and scratched the laid back cat's belly. The human sat on Ethan's pleasant couch feeding the orange fluff ball a warm bottle of milk as tiny paws aided in her work.

"Shakespeare, I command you to stop!" Ethan demanded as he chased the brown/black fluff in an endless cycle with a full bottle of milk in hand. Shakespeare had his tongue whipping freely across the blowing wind as he had ever-growing speed and joy. Suddenly, patience as thin as a paper sheet, Ethan lunged forward, sliding across the clean floor, but in a flicker of light, Shakespeare jumped high over the air and ran across the dino's broad back. And the last thing Ethan felt and saw was a grey wall coming at full force.

A good few minutes later, Shakespeare's incessant barking stirred Ethan from his death sleep. He sat up, rubbed his sore snout in pain, and felt a stinging sensation burning at the tip of his limp tail. Looking back in painful shock, he made the discovery of his dog snarling madly as he bit and pulled on his crying tail. "You dare…" Ethan growled. His eyes became dangerously predatory. Fueled by unforgiving rage, he jumped off the floor with Shakespeare still biting on like a mad canine.

And the chase continued between the two, but this time with the pup still fiercely clamped on Ethan's tail as the dino blind ragingly ran in circles vainly trying to catch the ball of growling fur, roaring out maybe offensive words that you had to be a total book worm to understand.

 **Day 21**

In a field of grass, one tall proud tree stood out amongst the small flimsy green where the sun reached its brightest during the day. And would occasionally have its warm brightness be rudely blocked by a pair of lazy puffy clouds.

Layla had settled her back against the lonely tree as she stroked the snoozing Ginger on her lap with one gentle hand, and the other wasting no time to scroll through infinite messages in her phone that didn't have to be blasted to full brightness thanks to the charitable tree's shadow.

"All right, Shakespeare my friend… let's see if you can catch this!"

Curious, she moved her phone about an inch to the side. It was Ethan preparing who had already twisted his upper body as far as he possibly can, a Frisbee in hand. Shakespeare stood completely vigilant 20 feet away, eyes trained on the red plastic that mysteriously called to him.

"And…" Ethan whispered tucking in his body even farther before he chucked that piece of cheap circly plastic out in the sky. "Fetch!" It flew way past Shakespeare's head swirling the wind around and he immediately bolted for it, barking every step of the way. By the time the Frisbee was in arm's reach of the pup, he stopped for a split second summoning and directing all his power into his legs, then sprang, spun in the air like an ice skater, caught the whirling whirlwind in his maw, and made the most perfect landing against the soft grass that bowed to his awesomeness.

"Excellent catch, Shakespeare!" Ethan congratulated. He wore a prideful smile with one hand on his hips while the other proudly gave his dog a claws up.

Layla could feel herself be mesmerized by him yet again. He was a scary looking 8 foot tall dinosaur on two legs yet he was so peaceful, loving, and annoyingly smart. Not to mention a rock hard bodybuilder who also doesn't skip leg day, a spectacular chef who takes the job way too seriously, and now a pet owner who loves his pets as much as they love him.

Ginger opened one eye and gazed up at her, smirking a little. _You totally like him_ she meowed that only a cat could understand.

 **Day 33**

"Shakespeare, please contain yourself from jumping around so much!" Ethan pleaded as a blast of soapy water slapped him square on the face.

"Ginger, you're not mad, are ya?" Layla whimpered as she fought to resist an evil glare from a certain uncomfortably soaked-to-the-bottom kitten.

Giving pets a bath weren't as easy as Ethan had first read, and how Layla first saw on YouTube. They didn't just sit there quietly in the bath tub gratefully accepting the refreshing water and sweet scented soap.

No.

You had to hold those violent furballs down as they continuingly try to escape the bone chilling water and overpowered soap, then you feel pissed when they shake off the pet shampoo you worked so hard to put on, then cringe and curse when some of it gets in your frickin eye.

It was a long bath.

 **Night 54**

Whimpers stirred Ethan from his sleep. Though like anyone, especially in the middle of the goddamn night, he ignored the calls. They never stopped.

It was maybe about the 64th whimper that edged him out of sleep. He moaned in inner pain and searched for his glasses on the nearby table, grudgingly sat up, and took a look around in the darkness.

Just for some insight, Ethan had long outgrown his old bed years ago when he found his legs sticking out the end and when the sheets have long lost their durability against sharp objects. Now, he sported an XL king size bed with fabric as unrippable as its infinite softness. A good thing too. Ginger had a habit of trying to claw through her pillow in her sleep.

The 65th whimper led his eyes to the source. It turned out to be Shakespeare, whimpering sadly at his tired master with beady eyes. _Where's Layla?_ Ethan could hear him whimper somehow.

"Not here, most likely in a hotel room," he groaned and hoped that would end everything for the night, but he persisted.

 _Why?_

"She's no longer a child, Shakespeare my friend. Her maturity has reached a point where she no longer requires me to protect her in her sleep." Then he stopped for one second, chuckling afterwards. "Though, in actuality, it's always been her protecting me during the cold nights like this."

 _How?_

"I've always had nightmares consume me. You know, illusions casted by the brain caused by-" Shakespeare angrily pouted for him to stop, baring teeth. "Continuing on, Layla would always be something I can hold onto during those terrors… something to give me assurance…something to give me good knowledge that I'm not alone… someone who loves me…"

 _And who's this?_

Tucked in Shakespeare's maw was a certain green dinosaur with googly eyes. "Ah I see you've become acquainted with Mr. T. Rex, another good friend of mine." He reached for him. "Do you mind?"

Shakespeare shook his head and allowed his master to grasp around the stuffed doll and carefully settled it on his lap.

"Now, it's Mr. T. Rex, a parting gift left behind by my best friend, who protects me in these dark times. Not a single nightmare reached me. Believe it or not, I hypothesize my nightmares cower in fear before him."

Satisfied and happy, Shakespeare curled back to sleep.

Ethan continued to stare at Mr. T. Rex, lost in thought. "If only I could give Layla and everlasting gift too…"

 **Day 58**

"Shakespeare, pass me the salt," Ethan requested as he placed all his focus on the sizzling pan in front of him.

Shakespeare, sitting patiently on a countertop ruled by sauces and spices, complied with a bark before gripping the can of salt with his maw and tossing it into the air. It almost meteorized on the solid ground, but Ethan's tail caught it in the nick of time. Then passed it to his awaiting hand.

"Shakespeare, pass me the Italian seasoning."

Again the process was repeated. However, there was a problem.

As Ethan poured the _Italian seasoning,_ he realized it wasn't Italian seasoning at all! "Garlic powder?" he gasped in horror, the earth shattering realization crushing him like a heart attack.

 _Master' what's wrong?_

Ethan laughed and placed a shaky hand on his snout. "Oh nothing my dear friend. No problem at all! It's just that…" Then completely out of nowhere, he whirled around and shoved the garlic powder all over the dog's face! "This isn't the Italian seasoning! Nowhere near it!"

 _But I thought garlic powder would do better than Italian seasoning._

"You diabolical fiend! Thanks to your foolish antics, the balance of my master piece is off balance!"

Glaring right back, Shakespeare took a brave step forward. _Maybe your master piece was never a master piece at all, master! Maybe I'm just doing my best to make sure your food doesn't taste too much like garbage!_

"Why you…" Ethan snarled and Shakespeare snarled right back.

The entire time, Layla giggled on the couch as the barking and Ethan's use of fancy insult words escalated, all the while gazing into her phone. Those two are such a riot. Then she frowned. Her phone warned her of its imminent death! Only two percent of its life remained! "Hey Ginger, mind passing me my phone charger?" she asked the cat snoring on her head.

Ginger opened her eyes, growled terrifyingly like a horrid beast, then went straight back into snoozing.

"Guess that's a no then…"

 **Day 96**

Layla had taken the first step on the roaring plane's step, but a titanic tug on her suitcase nearly made her fall over.

Turns out it was Shakespeare, no longer a pup, but a whiny adolescent who clanged onto her bag desperate for her not to go.

Layla sighed and knelt to the whimpering canine's level and grasped his flopping ears. "When I first met you, a super cute pup, I knew you weren't any ordinary dog. You were probably gonna be grown into the most vicious dangerous dog ever. But that's okay because you look so cool now, man! Wicked claws, little spikes popping all over your back, and everything! Way cooler than any dog I've ever seen! Kinda of wished I could bring you back home to shut that spoiled brat in my class about her ugly poodle," she cooed, massaging his ears.

His tail wagged without consent. Then he couldn't control anything anymore. It all came boiling out from inside. His tongue lunged for her face, covering everything in loving slobber. _I'll miss you!_ he whined then ran back to his master.

Ethan towered over her, even when he took a knee to try to meet her eye-to-eye. "And I'm sure Ginger will miss you too."

"Yeah, the thing is… I'm not sure if that's true."

"And why is that?"

Pointing a wavy finger, she sort of chuckled at the snoozing kitten cradled in Ethan's arm. "Because it looks like to me she has no problem sleeping me off a goodbye."

Ginger opened her eyes. "Meow," she meowed.

So was that supposed to be a bye? Well, whatever it was, Layla noogied Ginger's head and the cat almost swiped her hand off for disturbing her important nap.

"Um, are you forgetting something?"

Layla stared up for the source. Ethan had his head and eyes held high towards the sky as if expecting something very important. "No, not really," she shrugged deciding to play a little game. "I mean, I got everything I need in my bag so…"

Ethan huffed. "Oh, if I really must do it myself." Suddenly, his arm draped over her body in no time flat. Her being so light, it was easy for him to wrap her in his familiar scaly embrace.

Only, it wasn't so familiar. This time felt different for Layla, like trying diet coke instead regular coke, but in a strangely good way. There wasn't just heat radiating off of him, but inside her too. Especially when she fell to the irresistible urge to run her fingers over his silky chest feathers that coated his steel hard muscles. Then end up burying her entire face in it like it was some sort of feather pie.

Like always, Ethan purred into Layla's sensitive ears. "Until next time…" he whispered and pulled away.

 **Day 274**

At first, the dark screen of Layla's computer had nothing but the endless swirling dots of loadingness. And throughout the entire insufferable, migraine inducing ordeal, Layla continued to drum her head against her table into a steady beat, her dead bored face never feeling any pain. Then finally color exploded her screen.

Layla did her best not to laugh at the sight bestowed before her. A large excited German velociraptor, almost the size of regular human, continued to win dominance over the laptop's camera against his master.

"Salutations, Layla!" Ethan struggled to say, pushing the canine with all his might. "One moment please, but I have an important matter to attend to."

Ethan shut off the camera and left behind a screen of darkness. However, she could still hear everything. There was a sentence that began with "Get back you insufferable little-" then the connection got screwed for a few seconds, cracking at the end.

"That's much more tolerable." Ethan appeared on screen, brushing off any loose fur off his body. Pretty noticeable rips appeared everywhere on his muscle shirt, but hoped Layla would never notice, which she kind of did, but decided not to point out.

"Now, shall we catch up on- Shakespeare, refrain from consuming that!" He launched himself off his rolling chair and rushed off screen, and Layla watched the chair roll farther and farther away.

This might take a while.

 **Log: Dogs and Cats**

 _At first, I was afraid for Shakespeare and Ginger. Despite my knowledge of pet care, it was meaningless without true experience. It was a possibility that they may have ended up dead in my care for the first week._

 _But Layla helped me in my struggled. She-_

 _ **(**_ _*_ _ **Bark! Bark!)**_

 _Excuse my friend. She-_

 _ **(*Bark!)**_

 _She-_

 _ **(*Meow)**_

 _All right, fine! You two have broken me! I'll take you guys on a walk!_

 _ **(*Bark!)**_

 _And Ginger, no longer will you sleep on my head this time. This time, I implore you-_

 _ **(*Groooooooowl)**_

 _Never mind. Forgive me. Do as you wish._

 **Review if you care! :D**


	10. The Accident

A large dinosaur sat on the very top of the empty park's steps that towered above normal ground. From behind, the golden sun aimed its warm rays at his scales which gave off a fearsome glare if someone stared for too long. Time to time, many scientists passed through the empty pathways that once served tourists. Ethan waved to them in greeting, but it was more of his tail doing all the waving as his eyes were too transfixed to the super-large, or at least large to a human, textbook in his hand. The other hand was also busy gently stroking the snoozing cat on his lap.

He licked his claws, fully prepared to turn the page until a gentle tap came across his shoulder.

"Oops! Sorry Ethan! Lost control of my board there for a sec!" a voice called out.

Knowing who that could possibly be, Ethan had no choice but to smile. He turned his head behind and was greeted with a young teen running towards the wooden board that slowly rolled away from him. Shakespeare quickly barked happily after her.

"It's no trouble, Layla," he assured. "Hardly felt a thing, but I do advise you, be more careful with that… what is your contraption called again?"

She's been riding on this contraption since day one when she got here. And since day one, Layla liked to drag him outside to show him these tricks she liked to call _ollies_ and _nollies._ According to her, she learned these tricks from a video game. Neat. Though really, all Ethan wanted to do outside was read, much to her annoyance. What's so interesting about books when there's a person pulling off impossible tricks right in front of you? At least Shakespeare seemed interested. The dog even once tried riding the thing, despite his master's protests. And as Ethan had expected, the foolish dog fell the second he stepped paw on it.

"Ugh, really?" Layla said and rolled her eyes in disbelief. With all the infinite number of books he's read, he'd at least know what a board on wheels is called. She kicked the board's nose and it flipped through the air into her hand. "It's called a skateboard, Ethan, and it's one of the BEST things my dad got me for my sixteenth birthday. And like I totally expected, my mom completely freaked when she found out. Why does she have trust issues with what my dad gets me for my birthday?"

"Maybe because it slipped your father's mind to give you the proper protective gear?" Ethan suggested.

The human looked down to find her bare skin endangered by the rough concrete. Shakespeare whined in agreement. Then after some thought, she brought her head back to the dinosaur to give him a smug smirk. "Pfffffft! Protective gear? That stuff is for lamoes! Only skilled skateboarders like me don't need to waste their money on stupid protective gear!" With that said, she tossed her board to the ground and jumped on, gaining speed with each push of a leg.

Ethan huffed and his annoyed tail flicked. "If you must know, safety is the utmost importance when riding those contraptions. Who knows what event might transpire as your riding unpredictably into danger? At least give me some assurance by wearing a helmet."

She had her hands folded as she rolled in front of him. "Listen, Ethan, I like how you care about me and all, but can you lay off for a sec? I'm about to make the most awesome railgrind ever! Just you watch!"

Unstoppable determination already set in her eyes like permanent marker, she rode as far away from him as possible. Once she finally decided this distance seemed good enough, she turned around and saw two specks small enough for her to crush with her fingers. Shakespeare sat there waiting for her patiently, barking her barks of encouragement. Ginger, though she could not see her, was probably sleeping on

Ethan's lap like the lazy cat she is. Ethan himself still paid the human no mind and instead gave all his focus into his book.

Jerk.

Well, right now he's gonna have to see how great she is! More great than that stupid book of his anyways. One leg launched her forward. A whole lot more brought her enough speed to have the wheels thundering under her feet and the wind howling. Her eyes aimed at the upcoming rail near the huge dinosaur. A few seconds left before she reached her target, she crouched the lowest she possibly can… and jumped.

It's like somebody had pressed the slow-motion button on the remote. To Layla's left, Shakespeare had his long, pink tongue sticking out in absolute awe at the flying human who smirked in return. She turned to her right, and found Ethan still busied himself into reading, never taking a hint of notice at the girl who prepared a verbal slap into his earhole.

However, it never came.

Instead, a sharp _clang_ jabbed his ears. Ginger and Shakespeare's flickered in response, and Ethan finally turned to his friend's direction. He found that she had actually tripped in the air, her skateboard falling behind as she stared at him, suspended in the sky with hopeless fear, falling faster and faster into the solid concrete below.

A sudden rush of fearful adrenaline morphed his eyes into dilated slits.

"Layla!"

...

At first, the human who shut her eyes away from the world thought the hardness being pressed into her face was the concrete probably wet with red by now. But it didn't feel wet at all. It felt feathery, actually. Like really feathery. Not to mention super soft. And when she opened her eyes, there were no blood stains on the _floor,_ but grayness that covered every inch of the floor's feathers.

Wait, what?

"Layla, are you okay?" a voice that cried of overwhelming worry asked as the owner crushed her closer into its form.

"Ethan?" Layla asked and tried to pull out to get a glimpse of her savior, but he swiftly pulled her back in. He held her with his arm swung tightly around her waist and one large hand pushing her head into his feathery soft, muscled chest. His snout dipped over her shoulder and released warmth that breezed across her back. Since he's so tall compared to her, her feet made no contact on the ground below.

A few more concerned nuzzles later, Ethan held her out with both of his hand around her ribs. Layla prepared herself against an onslaught of more annoying "Are you okay?" and "Are you hurt?" but a low feral growl made her think otherwise.

"What on Earth were you thinking?" he scolded like an angry parent, dangerous red eyes glaring her down.

"Well, I tried doing a railgrind... buuuuuuuut I guess that didn't turn out too good…but hey, considering that you saved me and stuff, everything's all good," she answered with a smirk and looked over his shoulder. Shakespeare stood on all fours, barking barks of concern. Ginger was sprawled on floor alongside the open textbook, meowing in dissatisfaction. No doubt the cat will have her revenge soon.

"Didn't turn out too good?" he nearly roared. "Everything's all right because I saved you? What if I wasn't here to save you? What if you injured yourself beyond recognition because you're too foolish and self-absorbed to wear the proper protection gear? Have you ever taken that into consideration?"

Layla wanted to counter with something snappy, but she instantly noticed the honest tears that threatened to creep out under his quivering eyes. Then he pulled her back into his chest, purring contently.

"Just… just promise me you won't perform any more dangerous tricks like that until you get yourself the proper protection… ok? Perhaps a helmet at least?" Ethan whispered into her ear.

How can she resist a voice like that? She snuggled deeper into his chest. "Fine… no more skateboarding for me until I get some stupid protection. But I'm not doing it because I'm afraid pain! I'm only doing it because you're such a baby. And don't expect me to wear it all the time when I'm home either!"

Ethan smiled. He can live with that.

"And next time, I won't mess up that railgrind! Next time I visit, you won't be so whiny when I skateboard over your butt like a pro!"

Sadly for him, _next time_ never happened.

When the new summer came with its rise in unholy temperatures that once again inspired the rise of ACs to revolt, Ethan spent most of the fun season pacing angrily around his room trapped in deep thought.

The problem? Layla never came to visit this time. And even before that she completely ignored his requests for FaceTimes. Her mother apparently wasn't able to be contacted either. The heck is going on?

 _Perhaps she rescheduled a later day to visit me?_ He thought on the first day.

 _Perhaps she's still packing various human objects to impress me with?_ He thought on the second day.

 _Perhaps there were technical difficulties concerning with the plane and now she has to travel by boat instead? Boats travel slower, right?_ He thought on the third day.

 _Perhaps… perhaps she's busy this summer…a job possibly… despite her informing me she has literally nothing to do during these days… Perhaps… perhaps she wanted to take a break from me, but why? I thought our promise years ago…_ His thoughts began to swarm on the fourth day.

Ethan's head shot up and his red eyes flared with hatred, scowling at the stuffed dinosaur who googled its taunting, googly eyes at him. "Or perhaps, she chose to abandon me?" he growled, and Shakespeare whined and backed away in fear from his master. Ginger just ignored him and continued sleeping on his bed.

The dinosaur turned and bore deep into his reflection, staring coldly at his scaled skin, the sharp knives in his maw, the claws that glinted dangerously in the light, and the beastly red eyes that glared right back at him. Did she leave him because she finally realized she's been friends with a monster all this time? Is her fear so horrible that she couldn't even say good bye before she left him?

No, it couldn't be. There has to be a logical explanation to this mystery. But no matter how hard the dinosaur pondered over the situation that one thought always became the conclusion: _She abandoned me._

He tried his best to ignore the burning fire in his heart and continue on with his life. If she wants to abandon him, then that's fine! It's her decision, not his. However, the fire eventually finds a way to creep its way into his life. Often, many would complain that his _works of art_ are just a tad bit under or overcooked and sometimes just plain too salty, like he spaced off constantly as he worked. Growling, Ethan would respond, and I quote, "Sod off, incompetent wankers! You bloody lot are lucky I'm wasting my talents on you!" Then he'd slam his chef hat on the ground and give it a good stomp, until later picking it back up, dusting it, and apologized for his mishap.

Shakespeare and Ginger tried their best to comfort him. Well, actually, it was more of Shakespeare doing the comforting. Many times, the whimpering canine tried to lick away the despair and anger that stuck to his master's head like stubborn gum to remind him he's not alone. Ethan simply grumbled "piss off" and shoved Shakespeare's whiny head far away. Ginger did more of the forced calming. Whenever Ethan's rage finally takes a hold over him and prepares to murder an innocent chair by chucking it at a wall, Ginger would glare her master back down with her unyielding, demonic, emerald eyes that bore fear deep into Ethan, causing the dinosaur to put the chair back down and sit, waiting patiently for nothing.

For the nights, Ethan was determined to sleep through without Mr. T. Rex standing as his guardian. Before bed, he would glare menacingly at the stuffed dinosaur who reminded him of so much pain and throw him as far he can. The later morning, Ethan would throw himself off bed when he found a pair of googly eyes staring at him innocently on his pillow.

There was one time Ethan nearly grasped a clue to Layla's sudden abandonment. Ethan stood face-to-face with Dr. Malcolm, though it technically wasn't a face-to-face. It was more like a mini toothpick trying to compare to a buff potato.

"Hate to tell you this, Ethan, but I really haven't got a clue to what happened to Claire's kid. Can't even get in contact with the damn woman herself. Sorry, but I can't help you."

Ethan's claws grew a mind of their own. He could feel them gently raking against the air, and he wanted nothing more than to use them to tear the truth right out of Dr. Malcolm's mouth. Ethan could see the flickering of his eyes and hear the rise of the rapid beating of his heart.

The dinosaur held back with all his strength. His desire to find out about the truth was strong, but the idea of hurting any of his close friends to obtain the truth made him sick to the stomach.

But thankfully, he didn't have to hurt anybody to find the truth.

One day, Ethan was once again on a stake-out on his laptop waiting with whatever little hope he had left for Layla to answer his desperate call. However, instead of someone answering his call, he was one to answer a call himself that suddenly popped into his screen. But who from? He wasted no time to accept.

"Ethan, can you see me?" a familiar voice asked through the screen.

Ethan had to blink and shake the confusion away. It was Claire standing in front of the camera, but her surroundings weren't of the usual, cozy home he had expected. Everything around her was painted with pure white that almost made it look like Claire was standing around some kind of heaven. Behind her, a white bed, but Ethan couldn't see what rested on it.

"Mrs. Dearing?" Ethan almost stuttered out. "Why have you- I mean- yes, I can see you."

She let out a sigh of relief, but the worry she wore never ceased. "Good, because I have something to show you. It has to do something with Layla." It's like she had paralyzed him with those simple words. "Have you been wondering why my daughter hasn't seen you in such a long time?"

He gulped down the icy ball of nervousness and nodded.

"Well… there's no easy way to say this… but there's been an accident."

An accident?

She stepped aside and allowed him to gawk at the horrific scene.

The once cheerful and rebellious teen he's always known was now left broken and deathly still on her bed. Layla's neck was collared, head wrapped in white strips, lifeless limbs either bandaged or casted, and he would've believed her dead if it weren't for the heart monitor that beeped the faint signs of life.

Claire continued to explain. "Multiple fractured bones… head trauma… and a whole lot of other problems I don't feel comfortable explaining. What's worse, she's been stuck in a coma for months and there haven't been any signs of her waking up any time soon. Not even a twitch."

Tears began to swell under Ethan's eyes, but he swiftly swiped them gone. "What happened?" was the only thing he could muster.

Another sigh from Claire. "There was a car crash… a hit-and-run…"

Despair morphed into raging anger. His tail flicked angrily and his claws raked against the table. "Did the authorities capture the perpetrator who did this to your daughter?" he asked in a near growl.

Claire shook her head sadly. "No. The only clues they could find were a broken skateboard and a beer bottle."

Ethan's inner beast roared in outrageous fury, and Ethan himself wanted to roar alongside with it. How could he let this happen to her? Why wasn't he there to save her when he should've? What kind of friend is he if he nearly let her die like this?

 _Is this what sadness feels like…_ his brain moaned.

 _I'LL KILL THE BASTARD!_ His heart roared.

"Listen, I know this isn't the best time to say this… it may sound even horrible," Claire continued, wiping the tears that threatened to fall. "… but w-we should feel lucky Layla's only like this…"

Ethan banged his fist against the table. "LUCKY? WHAT KIND OF MOTHER ARE YOU TO SAY SUCH A THING TO YOUR OWN DAUGHTER? SHE MAY NOT BE DEAD, BUT SHE MIGHT AS WELL BE! WHO KNOWS HOW LONG HER COMA WILL LAST? IF ONLY I WAS THERE-"

"Ethan, stop!" Claire cried. "Just listen to what I have to say! The doctors say if it weren't for her helmet… her condition would have definitely be much MUCH worse."

Silence.

* * *

Layla's eyes fluttered open and she groaned in agonizing pain. It's like an entire party was going off inside her head blaring with impossibly loud, annoying music. And not just her head. Every part of her body wanted to scream when she chose to move them, that is, if she can at all, especially her fingers. And why is her neck so stiff?

 _The hell happened?_ She thought to herself.

She closed her stuttering eyes and searched her brain for answers, then ended up grimacing in pain. Even thinking hard made her head ache worse than it needs to be. Moving on, she remembered an empty, dark path… a road? Then she remembered looking both ways... then crossing… then seeing this blinding, bright light… then unbearable pain… then... then… then nothing.

And now, she's here.

A faint snore reopened her eyes and she moved them upward. To her surprise, a TV hanged on the wall in front. And a damn good sized one if she says so herself. She'd most likely be playing videogames on it if her hands could move, but that's not what drew her attention.

"Ethan?" she croaked in a raspy voice.

His sleeping head rose steadily from his arms like the morning sun and yawned, "Good morning, Layla," before going straight back into napping.

It took only seconds for him to realize the miracle.

Ethan's eyes shot open and he almost wobbled off his chair. He composed himself the best he can then bring himself so close to the camera that the only thing visible on the TV is a black dot teleporting from place to place in a sea of red.

Layla wanted to laugh, but pain wouldn't allow it.

Ethan quickly noticed. "Layla, I suggest you continue your rest. I deeply wish to hear your voice again after so long, but your health comes first."

Her sight began to fade. She whispered, "Whatever, I'm sleepy anyways."

* * *

'"C'mon, Ethan! Do we have to do this?" Layla whined in a much stronger voice than last week.

Ethan dumped a mountain of textbooks onto his desk and it whimpered in agreement. "Why yes, yes we do," he said firmly.

It had been a few weeks ago Ethan explained the whole little accident to Layla. To his shock, she merely replied with "Oh, ok. That's cool. What else is new?" She acted like she didn't care about her near-death experience at all, much to his anger, but he subsided it into an annoyed gruff. Since then, the injured teen has been getting many visitors ranging from friends to maybe about the second or third cousin who she obviously didn't know they existed. To Ethan's disappointment, Claire requested that Ethan turn off his laptop before any of them visited. Of course, it was a request, but Ethan wasn't one to disobey. Layla's been living it up so far, enjoying the get-well baskets overflowing with sweet treats, watching the TV that contained infinite number of channels, and most importantly, NO SCHOOL.

Too bad for her, Ethan decided to bring the school to her.

Ethan drew one textbook from the pile of textbooks like a deck of cards. He opened it to specific page about chemical reactions or whatever confusing science stuff, placed his reading glasses, and spoke, "I have asked Mrs. Dearing to ask your school district for any lessons you have been missing for the past months. And I must say, it is quite a bountiful. The first subject I would like to cover is…"

Layla waited for the word to stab her hopeless heart.

"…Chemistry."

Immediately, she groaned. "Ugh, Chemistry? I really don't think that's a good idea. I mean, have you seen my chemistry grades?"

"Yes, I have."

"Wait, what?"

"I am really disappointed in you, Layla. You may not believe in your potential, but I do. And I won't have some drunken fool ruin your future!" He set his eyes on the textbook. "Now, I will read one paragraph and I would like you to summarize what I've just read, so listen closely."

This is going to be hell.

Many hours of Layla mentally banging her head, the lessons finally stopped their ruthless onslaught. However, Ethan wasn't done there. He closed the chemistry book and put it off aside, then grabbed yet another huge textbook from the pile and made the sickening open sound.

"Next subject we shall be covering is… Algebra."

This time though, Layla showed no signs of disgust or hate. Instead, a look of smug confidence. "If you've seen my chemistry grades then you've probably seen my Algebra grades, Ethan. No need to waste any of our time you if ask me, so can I go back to watching-"

"An A- is not an A+!" Ethan declared fiercely. "And I will make sure when you get back to school, you're going to have the abilities to change that to an A++! But first, a warm up." Ethan closed his eyes and coughed into his fist. This should be good. "If Johnny had three apples and Sally had two apples…"

"FIVE!" Layla shouted with confident confidence.

"But if Johnny were to first multiply his amount by nine then once again times his product with the fifth power then square root it while Sally divides her amount by 1/64 and later…"

Layla shouted, "Screw you!"

After many problems that swirled her head, they moved onto to Spanish.

"¡Hola! Me llamo Ethan. ¿Como te llamos?

"Uh… hola? Me…me llamo Layla. Um, was that right?"

Ethan clapped his hands in joy. "Excellent Spanish, Layla. Now, let us move onto a little more advanced conversation."

A little advanced? So it can't be that bad, right?

"Layla buenas tardes . Me gusta leer , estudiar y estar con mis amigos . También felicitaciones a todo el que puede leer esto porque el autor es tan horrible en español ! ¿Y usted?"

"Shut up."

…

"Ethan, were you mad?"

"Pardon?" He had just finished putting the textbooks back to their home so nothing could cover his puzzled expression.

Layla casted her eyes down in shame. She's been thinking about this since the day Ethan explained the accident to her. Now seems a good time to ask. "Were you mad when I wasn't there? Like… remember our promise we made to each other like a REALLY long time ago? Since I broke it and all… I thought you'd be… you know… mad?"

Ethan sighed and removed his glasses. "Technically, you didn't break our promise. I said that you'd visit me with any chance you get. Seeing as your injuries made you incapable of doing anything, you had no chance. I do hope that clears your mind."

The human pressed on. "But still… before you found out about my accident, did you hate me for leaving you? Please, be honest with me. And I promise not to get mad with your answer."

The dinosaur could feel uncertainty pricking his insides. Guilt drawn over his eyes, he answered with a heavy heart, "Yes… I did believe you abandoned me. I believed that you finally realized the how much of a monster I truly am. And for that, for the first time in my life, I truly despised you. Forgive me. I'd understand if you never want to see the likes of me again."

Layla could only give him a sore smirk. "You know, for a smartass, you're kind of a dumbass. You'd actually think I'd leave an awesome guy like you? No way! You have both brains and brawn. Do you know how rare that is? That's like shiny-Pokémon rare! And the food you make? Screw going to those stupidly-expensive, fancy restaurants when I can just go over to you in the summer. Then let's not forget about Shakespeare and Ginger! Those two love you more than little kids love their candy! Well, Ginger tries not to show it. You're a pretty great teacher too. I just wished you taught at my school rather than some jerks I know there. Referral for forgetting homework? Bullcrap!"

She would've continued the infinite list, but a nasty cough exploding with pain forced her to stop. Okay, so maybe running her mouth was a bad idea. When her vision returned, she found Ethan covering his watery eyes that failed to hold back any tears. She might've thought those were tears of sadness if it weren't for the honest grin spreading across his muzzle.

"You are truly the greatest friend I could ever wish for," he whimpered. "I love you…"

Preventing a blush was about as impossible as moving her left leg. "Love you too…" she muttered.

Ethan wanted to continue with even more mushy-mushy stuff, but a tired yawn broke through. "Good heavens, would you look at the time." Another yawn broke out and he laid his heavy head on his arms. Any other word he tried to speak became a mumble. "Good night, Layla. I'll be here all night, and first thing tomorrow we shall continue your lessons: English and History. Love you…"

Another blush hit her hard and she tried to move her head away, but once again found herself unable to. "Go to sleep already, you big baby…"

 **Log: Anger**

 **What would have happened if Layla died?**

 **If I became an angry, barely-controlled beast when I thought she abandoned me, how would I react if she actually died? What would I become?**

 **According to my research, any regular human would be left to wallow in their despair if they experience a heavy loss. It's a sad, natural thing that occurs in their daily lives every single day.**

 **But the thing is, I am not human.**

 **I know I'm a simple experiment with genes derived from the most savage predators to have ever existed. Not only will I grieve, I will most certainly feel rage like none other I have felt before. The rage of an unstoppable predator. Will my anger become so great, will I completely forget who I am? Will I become a savage predator and go on a killing spree to satisfy my rage?**

 **These are questions I wish to never be answered**

* * *

 **End of Chapter! Review and tell me how this was!**


	11. A Dinosaur's Sin

**Hey everyone! This is just a re-upload cuz something went wrong with the original.**

A young girl gazed up towards the bright, blue sky to find the shadow of a roaring plane blanketing her in its darkness. When it soon passed, the girl was greeted with the bright, blaring glare of the sun that stung deep into her blue eyes.

"Ok, where am I supposed to go again?" she asked the emptiness around her.

There was nothing but the barren wasteland of the airport. Not single human in sight. And her mother wasn't here to guide her this time. Apparently, there was this super-important call from work that BEGGED FOR her assistance just before Layla could begin her vacation of freedom. So when summer finally arrived, the young, little girl had to travel all the way to this super, secret island of dangerous experiments all by herself.

But no worries! Being 17, she's basically an unstoppable adult now! Or at least, that's what she hoped to believe.

"Excuse me, my fair maiden!" a voice called out of nowhere. "You seem a little lost in these parts! Do you require any assistance?"

Layla's eyes instinctively followed the familiar voice. There, they found a huge, buff dinosaur making his way towards the small human with a comforting, happy grin. On top of his head was a snoozing, orange kitten that made his head seem like the most comfortable bed in the world. And trotting right alongside him was the most fearsome-looking canine in the world that wagged his adorable tail and panted with his long, cute tongue.

"Ethan, what's up, man!" Layla greeted cheerfully.

The dino returned her happy grin. His figure blocked the sun and casted a shadow over her small form. "Yes, salutations to you too."

Shakespeare ran in endless circles around the human and synced his happy barks with her laughter.

"Hey, good to see you too, Shakespeare," she said as she patted his soft head and he barked in appreciation. An annoyed _m_ eow reached her ears. She looked up to find Ginger trying to resettle herself into a better spot for a nice nap. Layla smirked. "It's good to see you too, Ginger."

The cat bared her fangs and hissed in response. Ethan chuckled and rubbed her orange head. "Don't worry about that. I know she means well."

Ginger grumbled at that.

"Anyways," Layla began. "Why are you here all of the sudden? Shouldn't you be back with Malcolm learning about the history of underwear or something?"

His stance became prideful and stoic. "If you must know, underwear is just one of the many crowns of human achievement," he explained proudly. "As for the location of your mother, she's with Dr. Malcolm and other researchers working in their laboratories. So, in the anticipation for your arrival, I was instructed to guide you."

She was more expecting to be hit with the feels than that boring statement.

"But the real reason why I'm here… was because I was scared..." Ethan whimpered, almost choking on his words. There was a sudden drop in his height as he fell to his knees and wrapped one big arm around the human who was too caught-off guard to do anything and was pulled into his strong chest. It was a bit crushing, but otherwise, very comforting. He dipped his muzzle over her shoulder so that she could feel his heavy breaths breathing down across her back.

"Are you okay?" he whimpered again, pulling her tighter as if any moment, she'd disappear in thin smoke.

At first, Layla had absolutely no idea what he's talking about. The ride on the plane was smooth enough. Soon though, tears invaded her widening eyes when she realized he meant the _accident._ "Yeah… I'm ok…" she whispered and assured him with soothing rubs on the back of his scaly neck. Loud, affectionate purrs were emanated deep within Ethan's throat as he snuggled his head closer to her.

Back then, he felt destroyed, insecure, and lost when he nearly lost her. What would he do without her? What would he become without her? Now, hugging her made him feel safe and secured again.

"Can you walk?"

"Well, duh. How else could I have gotten here if I couldn't walk? Each step makes me a little sore, though."

Ethan reluctantly released his hug so he can be face-to-face with both hands on her shoulders. "Then do you wish for me to carry you?"

She returned his pleaing gaze with a smirk. "Oh, come one, Ethan. I'm not that weak."

"Nope. No excuses. My love for you will not allow you to harm yourself."

A strange warmth washed over Layla the moment he said that one word. She recalled many times when the dino said that he loved her over the years, but the fire in his predatory eyes seem to grow fiercer with each use. It's like he actually means it… as if he wants to tell her a deeper meaning but too afraid to continue on.

While trapped in her deep thoughts, Ethan gently lifted her from the ground and carefully settled her on his shoulder. He glanced at her while wearing an obnoxious smirk. "I believe the correct saying is _'how's the weather up there?'_ "

Her brain didn't have the space to register that. It was too busy taking in the new scenery around her. Suddenly, the mountains didn't look so high and mighty. And the ground beneath her felt like a deep, never-ending trench that gave her headaches just staring at it. "Whoa… so this is what it feels like to be tall. You've got yourself a pretty good view up here, Ethan."

His blush glowed under his scales. "Why yes… I thank you for your praise."

"All right, so where we going? Back to your place to hang out like old times?"

"Actually, do you recall the park that was destroyed many years ago by a horrid storm?"

Her memories began clinking together. "Yeah, I think so."

"Shall we _hang out_ there instead?

"Wait, so it's fixed now? After all this time this place finally decided to fix it?"

"Yes, well, a simple park doesn't really help with the ground-breaking research the scientists uncover here. The only reason why they fixed the park for me was because I simply asked them."

"Wow, you're cool," she said, rolling eyes.

Another blushed tackled Ethan's cheeks as he scratched his chin. "Was that another compliment?"

Light casted from the sun shined off from the gleaming new paint that covered the brand new park that stood proudly on the soft sand. A light breeze gently brushed the empty swings as their chains rattled together.

"Have you caught your little animal friend, yet?" Ethan called from afar, smiling at Layla. His back was plopped up against a solid tree that covered him in a protective shadow while his tail maneuvered around the trunk. He sat with one leg extended out and the other kneed up. And nesting on top of his head, as always, was Ginger dreaming about fish.

"It's not called _little animal friend_ , Ethan," the human scoffed at him yet never taking her eyes off from her phone, "It's called a _Pikachu,_ and no, I haven't friggin caught it yet." She paced furiously around the park's sand. "I mean, I know it's here, but where the heck is it!"

Shakespeare barked his way to her side. He just came back after hunting for this _Pikachu_ his best friend has been searching far and wide for,but brought no luck with him. This Pikachu is so elusive, does it even exist?

Ethan smiled at them before returning his gaze to the paper in his claws. He mumbled and recited every word, etching them into his mind to the point where he can say them backwards effortlessly. He crumpled it and shoved it into his pocket. Then finally, when he built up enough confidence, called Layla over. "Excuse me, Layla! May I have a word with you?"

Layla struggled to make a decision. Should she either catch this Pikachu now before it disappears forever or head towards Ethan for another boring speech about something completely out of her interests? Her decision became final when she removed herself from her phone and saw the scared nervousness that covered Ethan's eyes.

She headed towards him and each step eroded Ethan's confidence as regret started to take effect. Shakespeare wanted to follow, but his prey comes first. The canine ran to the forest fully confident he had captured the scent of this elusive mouse.

"You called?" Layla asked, a foot apart

Speech wasn't easy being cooperative right now. "Yes, I shall be asking a series of questions that may be too personal for you to answer. If that is the case, then you may ask me to refrain from asking anymore."

Questions stirred in her mind. "Ok…" she answered, half-heartedly.

Ethan coughed into his fist before continuing. "In your years of human life, have you ever felt any kind of affection towards another? Another human, to be precise."

"What kind of affection?" she asked.

He tapped his claws together, his blush's reflection held inside. "L… love…"

"No," she answered with full honesty. The heck is this all about?

"Are you certain? Then when you participated in your school's ritual called _prom,_ did you feel any love for the human who had taken you?"

A laugh was her response. He probably didn't know. "No, cuz you see, I never actually went to prom. Freshman year, nope. Sophomore year, nadda. And Junior year, I was in the hospital."

Ethan gave her a strange stare, "Never? Isn't it your duty to uphold the tradition of prom? Surely at keast once you went with a boy you found attractive in order to attend."

It was her turn to blush. Rubbing her arm, she continued. "Ugh, I didn't go Ethan. I was busy."

"Busy? Busy with what?"

"I was playing COD, Ethan."

"Cod? Like the fish? You play with fish?"

"No! Ok, long story short, I didn't go. The end. And I found nobody attractive to go with either."

"Do you find me attractive?"

Immediately, Ethan shifted his stare back into his nervous claws.

Her blush became painted with a deeper surface of crimson red. She lifted her gaze off the grass and came in contact with the dino. Suddenly, she had the familiar urge to run her fingers across the soft feathers that layered his nicely-sculpted muscles. Her eyes traveled to his own and she wanted nothing more than to get lost in the deep ocean of red. Then there's that strong desire to want to rub his sensitive snout just so she could see that tail wag. "Um… is this a trick question?"

"Forgive me," he said, shame clear as day in his voice. "I knew that question was too invading, and yet I still asked."

"Hey, it's cool," she said and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We're friends."

He locked gazes with her again, his tone serious. "And for that matter, do we act like friends?"

That started the gears in her brain to grind. Through all these years being together, do the human and the dinosaur even act like friends? At least once or twice per week, they'd have another bout of ticklw fighting and the human would always emerge as the victor. Hugging is also pretty much daily thing every day because that's what friends do. However, when Ethan starts to get too affectionate, he'll keep slobbering her face until it's completely drenched in his affection. Do friends like to lick each other's faces?

"Um, sort of?" was her brain's only answer.

"And the other part that is not _sort of,_ do we act like…" He paused to take in a deep breath. "No, not act like. Do we treat each other as if we were a couple?"

She didn't have the courage to answer that. Would admitting freak him out?

He read the hesitation written all over her silenced face. "Recall that you don't have to answer," he assured. "And you needn't worry for any more personal questions for I am ready to confess my sin."

Sin? Holy crap this is getting serious.

He coughed gently into his fist. "It has come to my attention… _no… that's not right…_ "

Ethan apparently tripped over his words because he began again.

"Over the years I have… "

Again, he closed his eyes as his emotions swelled painfully beyond his control.

"I am simply trying to confess… _dammit…no…_ " He forced his eyes shut as he stuttered the incomprehensible mumble. Why was this different than the other times he told her these three words? Ethan could effortlessly lift objects 10x his own weight, and yet he couldn't even lift a few measly words out of his dry mouth. "I'm sorry!" he finally blurted. He threw his head away from Layla to the ground. Ginger crashed but still rolled around and napped as if nothing ever happened. "I-I can't do this. I'm too much of a coward to admit that I lo-"

Small, frail arms were suddenly wrapped around his sides and something pressed against his chest. He widened his eyes and looked down to find that the teen was snuggling on top of him as if he were the most comfortable bed ever created by man. Which he pretty much was in her opinion. This sudden invasion of warmth scrambled his thoughts into an uncontrollable frenzy. He kicked off his hands as far as possible from her and felt conflicted whether he should pry her off him or pull her closer to his rapid heartbeat.

"Y-you're hugging me?" he asked in a worried half-shout. "Why?"

She just sighed in bliss and pushed her head deeper into his soft feathers. "Because you're not you when you're a nervous wreck." With her ear pressed against his chest, she felt his hammering heart settled peacefully into a nice, steady rhythm as tree-trunk arms encased her in a scaly embrace.

Human and dinosaur remained like that for a good two minutes just embracing the other… feeling the other.

"Better?" Layla asked in a tone similar to those snicker bar commercials you used to see on TV. Those were the shit back in the day.

"Better," Ethan purred and tightened the hug.

She pulled away and stared up at him, inches apart from his snout. "Ok, so what were you gonna confess to me? Just take it slow and you'll say it."

Her presence kept his hesitation at bay and allowed him to speak clearly. "I love you," he confessed, plain and simple. It was difficult to detect any emotion in his unblinking gaze as they kept on peering into her soul awaiting for her response.

"I know you do, Ethan," she smiled and rubbed the side of his muzzle. "You tell me that like every time."

Those words shattered his fragile poker face and revealed the desperation he tried to lock inside him. He shook his head violently. "No, this time, I am determined to fully explain my words!" he growled dangerously. Instantly, he trapped her in a crushing embrace he could not control. The suddenness instinctively caused her body to fight and break free from his hold, but the dinosaur released a more deadly growl as he tightened his strong hold. Her entire body immobile, she convinced her strained body to relax as she continued to listen.

"I love you! More than I should! More than just innocent friendship! Years with you have drowned in love! Oh, how I wish I could convey my feelings to you in the poems I assembled many nights for you that detail my love! Haikus! Sonnets! All the works of literature I have embedded into my memory. I've prepared them all in my head! But as of right now, I deem expressing my feelings to you from memory weak and foolish."

He removed his strong hold over her and lifted her under her armpits. Hot breaths came crashing down against Layla's stunned face. Intense eyes burned into her own. "I desire to tell you from the bottom of my heart with these three simple words. I love you."

Imagine your best, super-platonic, friend, who just happens to be the most dangerous dinosaur created by mankind, exploding with powerful emotions as he tells he has loved you after all these years. How to respond?

"If my words cannot convince you," he growled, filling her ears. "Then I will show you…"

Ethan opened his muzzle, revealing rows of razor-sharp knives made for tearing apart a prey's flesh that resided in his maw. A big, long pink tongue snaked its way into the outside world and landed on Layla's silenced lips. He did not force his way in, as much as his burning heart wanted to. Ethan waited patiently for her permission as he coaxed the human's lips in loving saliva. Then, when those soft lips made the slightest parting, Ethan immediately took it as an invitation and dived in, exploring every region of her mouth.

This was nearly indescribable to Ethan. He could taste the cheesiness of Nacho Cheese Doritos blanket his tongue and the sweet bite of Mountain Dew.

 _Better than oyster crackers and simple tea,_ Ethan mused.

He hoped he wouldn't get addicted to junk food after this.

The two minute eternity sadly ended when the dino's tongue parted, for he knew she did not have the same lung capacity as his, leaving her breathless yet wanting more. Ethan nuzzled her face with his head.

"However, you don't have to accept my love," Ethan whispered softly. The fierce fire that blazed in his eyes shrunk to a gentle candle flame. "Many moons I have pondered if I choose to deny my love to you would be the right decision. What kind of fate am I putting you through if you love a terrible beast like me?" He closed his eyes and inhaled a deeply. "Ultimately, I decided that I should let YOU decide whether we can be a couple together or not. And I swear on my life I will not be consumed by rage in your decision. Being friends with a great human like yourself…" He pulled her back in a loving hug. "Is enough to keep me both happy… and safe..."

A war between two answers fought in her head. Friggin YES to the dinosaur who just poured his heart to her or be an asshole and say no to the scary dinosaur who looked ready to cry at any moment.

She closed her vision off from the world and focused herself deep within the darkness of her memories, recalling every single moment they spent together that gave light to the darkness. Laughing… smiling… hugging… tickle fighting… and that one kiss they shared… she remembered experiencing all that happiness together with a certain dinosaur

She made her decision. "Ethan…" she whispered to the motionless silence. "I guess I love you too…the same way you feel about me... but this better not be some stupid prank you're expertly pulling because- "

Promptly and exploding with joy, Ethan shared another intimate kiss with her, fiercer, and expressing much more love to her than the last time, driving their heated tongues together. The dino became the first to moan and Layla soon followed. Not within her control, Layla's legs shifted around and brushed against a solid lump, electing a deeper, more lust-filled moan from him as he pulled her away.

"Ah crud, did I screw up?" Layla asked, worry in her voice. Kissing has been foreign country to her until now.

"No… of course not…" he said through heavy breaths. His tightening boxers stung him. "You were absolutely wonderful. It's just I may be a bit… _aroused_ at the moment."

"Define aroused," Layla asked with honest confusion.

Unable to let out a single word, Ethan guided her head behind to a sizable bulge sitting on his crotch that begged for attention. Layla's leg accidently brushed against it again and another, deeper, lustful moan emerged from Ethan's throat.

Despite its allure, Layla managed to tear eyes from it. Blushing beyond limits, she asked, "Oh, so are we gonna have sex now?"

That snapped Ethan out of his aroused state into concerned confusion. "Why would you ask such a thing?"

She didn't have the courage to look at him. "I dunno… it's just that I heard a lot of girls in high school already _did it w_ ith their boyfriends or somethin… and I'm just thinking now that we're officially boyfriend and girlfriend… I'm supposed to _do it_ with you now…"

Any moment, she waited for her clothes to be torn off.

"Forgive me, my dear, but I'm afraid I must deny your request."

Her head shot up. "Wait, really? Why? You really don't want to do it with me?"

A claw traced her soft cheek, leaving shivers in its wake. "You are mistaken. As you have witnessed earlier, my cock yearns to bury itself inside the deepest of your regions and burn your very spirit with my seed. I want to explore you in every intimate way possible. Oh… what I could do to you… what I WANT to do to you…" he growled possessively into her ear. Then he spoke in a softer tone, "But you are a flower still yet to be plucked. Are you not?"

"Huh?" she asked while picking her ear.

His snout darted for her neck and he inhaled her arousing scent deeply. The lump grew and a drop of pre stained him. "I can smell your pure scent emanate off you. No man has ever touched you. Am I wrong?"

"No. I guess not."

"Then there is no need to rush things," Ethan said, nuzzling her neck. "I want to spend every happy moment of this life with you that does not include any needless sex. Until you feel ready for it, I shall wait. No matter how much my body desires to be with you, I promise to never touch you wrongly in any way until you firmly believe you are ready."

His warm consideration made her light up inside. Already he's turning out to be the best boyfriend ever. "Wow, thanks Ethan."

"You needn't thank me," he assured and pulled her into his chest. "I'm simply looking out for your safety."

Ethan rolled to his side with his human still in his protective hug. He dipped his snout then nibbled her exposed neck and shoulder from here and there while granting the marks soothing licks. Laughs and moans broke free from her mouth thanks to the pleasurable sharpness that squeezed her skin and the gentle licks.

"So, what do you wanna do now? More kissing?" she asked.

"Actually, may I ask if we could talk? A simple conversation between two lovers."

"Talk about what?"

"Then I shall get us started," Ethan said happily. "In your early childhood, what is the most villainous crime you committed?"

"Ok, so it was when I was like four or something," she began and Ethan listened closely. "You know that cereal brand called Lucky Charms?"

"Bahh… sugared cereal," he hissed.

hh"Shut up, I'm talking. Anyways, I remember opening the annoying plastic bag with my teeth. Took me a while, but when finally managed to open it, I dumped the whole thing on the table then freakin started eating all the marshmallows like crazy. Not a single marshmallow survived. I made sure of it. Then I shoved all the disgusting oats back inside the box. Ha… then when my dad showed up and poured himself a bowl of Lucky Charm, he was all like 'Hey, where's the marshmallows?' Then I'd tell him 'I dunno' and run off before he could suspect me. I still do it sometimes, actually…"

Ethan chuckled. "You villainous fiend."

"Say what you will, but it's worth it. Ok, my turn for questions. You were born from an egg, right? What's the earliest thing you can remember?"

Ethan closed his eyes and searched deep into his past. "I recall sitting on the floor for I had not learned to walk yet. Two objects were placed in front of me. A pile of meat and a book."

She already had an answer. "Lemme guess, knowing you, you probably went for the book."

"How did you guess? I admit, the scent of fresh, raw meat and sweet blood was alluring and nearly drew me to it, but I thought the strange object next to it was more perplexing than a pink slab of meat. It tinkered the curiosity in my mind. I crawled to it, and I immediately grew interested as I inspected its contents. In the end, I ate the delicious meat as I read my very first book," he ended proudly. "I believe it's my turn to ask a question, though this may be rhetorical. Who do you think will be the chef of this relationship?"

"Can I try?"

His expression grew serious. "You can't even cook."

"I can cook!" she defended.

"Oh?" he said, his interests peaking. "Then describe to me the proper preparations of a culinary meal."

"Fine! First you get bowl."

"Ok."

"Then you get a spoon."

"This must be an interesting dish."

"And some nice, cold milk from the fridge."

"I formed a hypothesis to where this is going."

"And then you pour your favorite cereal and milk into the bowl! I recommend Lucky Charms!"

Ethan rolled his eyes with a playful smirk. "Of course. But moving on, may I inquire another question?"

"Ask away."

"What would you become if human civilization did not come along?"

Layla felt the fear radiate off him as he tightened his nervous hold. "Whoa, you hanging in there?"

"Yes," he lied. "It's just that sometimes… I wonder what kind of beast I would've become if neither your mother or Dr. Malcolm or any of my caretakers were there to teach me… to guide me…"

Ethan waited in painful patience for her thinking hum came to an end. "To be honest, Ethan, you really shouldn't care about all that confusing stuff."

"Pardon me?" he said, hurt written in his voice. "I find this to be very personal to me."

"Well, don't make it personal," she shot back. She sighed and continued. "What I'm trying to say is, don't care about the _what ifs, should ifs,_ and all that crap about the past. Focus on what you have and who you are now. You have Shakespeare, Ginger, and me! Then there's the fact that you're a total bookworm since birth. You're such a nerd too. And who would've thought a dinosaur would make a great chef?"

Despite his immense intelligence, it required time for Ethan to process her words. Then he remembered the young girl he held in his arms, the snoozing cat next to them, and heard the bark that singled Shakespeare's return. Then remembered the many of this island who sought after his food, his amazing intellect that challenged many geniuses of this world, and his great love for reading.

"You're not a monster, Ethan," Layla assured. "You're Ethan, the greatest most besttest dinosaur who ever lived!"

A warm tear fell from his watery eyes. "And you're Layla, the first and only human to be my true love…" he purred.

 **Now, unlike the last few chapters where it only detailed one event per summer, all the chapters from now on will take place this one summer. And for those interested in the two's age, Layla is 17 and Ethan is 25.**

 **Reviews are appreciated!**


	12. A Doubt in Love

A young teen leaned her body over a stone bridge that arched across a flowing river. She had elbows plopped down with her hands mushing up her cheeks as they held her motionless head in place. Every now and then, her face would try to contort to a half-baked smile, but her reflection in the clear water shook her head for her to stop.

Summer's been going great so far since the day Ethan and she began their love relationship. It was a fluffy life of constant hugs, nuzzles, licks, and heated tongue action between the two.

Everyday Ethan would bestow her another masterful work of his art he put his heart and soul in to and enjoy the smile Layla had in her bulged-out cheeks as his tongue cleared away the leftovers stuck to her lips. Then there'd be times Shakespeare would bark for their attention with a leash under his scaly paws. They'd go out for a nice stroll under the warm sun until eventually resting under a single tree's shade. There, Ethan would gently pin the small human against the soft grass, his excited tail swishing behind him. She'd struggle a bit and he'd purr at the cute, vain attempt his prey was making. It only took a few nips and licks on the neck to cease her strugglings. But right before he can attempt a more "intimate" advance, Shakespeare barked for their attention yet again, a Frisbee under his scaly paws. Ethan would bare fangs and growl for him to "piss off". The damn reptile/canine wouldn't take no for an answer and returned his master's threatening growl with his own. The next thing they know, a meow brought down from the heavens commanding them to "Shut up". Looking up, they would discover an orange cat slacking on a branch, glaring with demonic eyes. Layla would end up laughing for the rest of the afternoon spectating a contest of never-ending death growls and meows.

Her reflection began to smile.

And every night, Layla got to bask at a shirtless dinosaur wearing nothing but a pair of boxers that had a hole cut in it to let his nervous tail swing about. The dino would blush and have a staring contest with his best friend, the ceiling, as the human slowly waded through the heavy air. When she finally made it face-to-abs, her hand involuntary ran through the manly, body feathers that coated his rough scales, earning herself a rumbling purr from the dinosaur himself. Without warning, he would scoop her out from the cold and into his tree trunk arms that granted warmth, bridal style, and nuzzle her face lovingly with his muzzle as he made his way towards bed. There, Ethan would clap his hands and the ceiling lights followed his command to allow darkness to settle. In the dark void, Layla would feel herself being tucked safely in feathery scales, and a nearby lamp would turn on and cast away some of the surrounding dark. Laying on his muscular torso, Layla would watch him remove his contact lenses and replace them with a pair of clear reading glasses.

From then on, he'd read to her compelling bedtime stories about math detectives searching for a solution to a problem, atoms scouring the globe for the special _other_ whom they will share their electrons for eternity, and a rocket who struggles to be perfect and reach for the stars by undergoing brutal rocket science. She would've told him to stop before the death side effect of boredom can kick in, but the steady heartbeat beating under her solid, feathery bed her head nestled closer to combined with the sleep spell the dinosaur chanted was more than enough to soothe her body into blissful slumber. And within her sweet dreams, a smooth, gentle claw would trace her cheeks. And then a small "I love you…" bursting with heartfelt emotions would be whispered into her ear, a pair of strong arms engulfing her in heavenly warmth soon following.

All this he did to make her happy. All this for her.

Her smile faded into a scornful scowl.

And what was she doing for him?

The more happiness he gave her, the greater it fueled the fires of her anger. But it wasn't directed at him; rather, the fire raged on her.

Ethan cooks for her, cares for her, even takes the time to read her bedtime stories at night, and what was she doing in return?

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

The self-hate boiled in her fists. What exactly could she do to make Ethan as happy as her? Could cooking be the answer? Though, now that she thinks about it, the best she could make him was a mircrowaved Cup Noodles with only a 10% chance of it being burnt, and even then she knew Ethan would rather die than eat microwavable food. Maybe she could introduce him to video games? Those are pretty fun! But since most of the video games she knew was about blood and violence, he probably wouldn't want go as far as touch a controller. How about she could try reading him a comic book or manga as a bedtime story? Then again, it is kinda hard to picture what's happening there without any pictures and Ethan would rather ask why the pictures were drawn when they can be easily be drawn in the mind through "proper" writing.

Her frustration grew a mind of its own, calling her "stupid" and "useless", and Ethan would probably come to find fancier ways to berate her once he finally realizes how much a mistake he made in loving her.

"Nature has intriguing ways of fashioning enchanting art, doesn't she?" Ethan's reflection said next to Layla's.

Light darkened around the human as her head swung to the right. A huge, buff dinosaur was towering above her, blocking out the bright sun. "Oh, uh… right," she agreed, lamely. "Nature is great I guess…"

Ethan's eyes dropped half-way as they caught the glum stare she made at his taloned feet. "Is there something troubling you?"

"Nah, I'm cool, Ethan…"

His intelligently brain immediately processed the lie. Worried, Ethan knelt down and tenderly placed large, rough hands on her shoulders. "My dear, as your lover, it is my duty and desire to ease your worries and grant you happiness, so I ask of you to please explain to me your troubles."

She wanted to resist, but the honest care in his red eyes and almost-whiney purr he let out easily shattered the feeble cage that held her insecurities. Ultimately, she sighed. "It's this relationship, Ethan."

Just by the grave tone of her voice, his breaking heart knew where this was going.

"I'm sorry, Ethan. But I really don't think this relationship is gonna work out for you," she continued, forcing back tears. "I'm just so-"

Ethan raised a silent hand. His eyes had closed to hide the bitter sadness behind them. "No need for you to continue, Layla, for I already foresee your reason."

"Wait, Ethan, if you just let me-"

"When I first proclaimed my love to you, you must've felt that you needed to love me because you did not wish to bring harm to my feelings, correct? I forced you to love me…" The dinosaur rose and turned his back to the human. He refused to let her see him cry. "Forgive me for placing you in such a position. I will take my leave now, but I do hope we can still prosper as great friends…"

"Dang it, no!" Layla shouted and snatched for his hand. Despite knowing full well trying to pull a weight of his caliber impossible even with the aid of both hands, she attempted with all her might. Ethan refused to turn back, but allowed his reptilian head to gaze solemnly behind him "I just don't think I'm good enough to be your girlfriend!"

Ethan froze mid-step, concerned curiosity straining his hearing.

The escaped truth had left her in breaking tears, but she managed to fight through them and calm her breathing. "All right, listen…"

He was listening.

"You're a really great guy, Ethan. You can cook, you're super smart, mature, and with that body of yours, any girl would fall for you once they get to know how super nice you really are! Any girl that's better than me!"

Ethan returned to standing on one knee so he could gaze at the sullen human with sympathy.

A portion of built up tension was released through her sigh. "It's just that in school, I always see girls who're smarter than me, prettier than me, and most importantly, more mature than me. I'm just a stupid teenager who focuses more on comic books and video games instead of focusing more important things like making themselves better for their boyfriend. I can't stop thinking when I compare myself to those girls." Her hand unconsciously rubbed shame on her arm. "I… just think… you're wasting your chances at love with someone like me."

Layla lost the courage to maintain her gaze into those compassionate, predatory eyes of his. The mental dam she put up earlier had broken and left nothing to hold back the rush of flowing tears. As a feeble last resort, she hid her vision within darkness; however, her sense of touch was impossible to shut off. As she continued to leak uncontrollable tears, something hot and wet was licking them off her cheeks, and as long as she kept crying, it never stopped to leave what felt like comforting saliva.

She squinted one eye open to discover a dinosaur lapping up her sad tears with gentle care. As much as she hated it, she loved the consideration he was granting to a stupid girl like her. Her hand reached for his muzzle and the dinosaur stopped his approach. He allowed what little strength her hand had to guide his muzzle to rest against her soft cheeks. The deep, powerful breathing his snout released over her shoulder relaxed her. And the grateful purr he rumbled as she pet his snout sent pleasant shivers throughout her body.

"Ethan," she continued. "Even though you're not human, you're just so wonderful and perfect that you deserve anybody but me who can actually make you happy."

"Make me happy?" Ethan purred as he nuzzled the human's cheeks. "Just what are you trying to imply?"

"You really make me happy, Ethan, and it's so frustrating to know that I can't do the same for you. You probably won't eat Cup Noodles, you probably won't wanna play video games, and you probably won't wanna read _childish_ picture books. Everything you hate is just about everything I do to waste my life. Everything I do… everything I am isn't enough for you to enjoy."

"Hmmmmmm, are you certain with that proclamation?" Ethan purred lovingly, losing himself in nuzzling her skin. "I seem to be enjoying you right at this moment. And do you know why?"

Layla answered with a simultaneous snort and laugh. "Why?"

"Because I love you…"

"But what if there was this other girl you met instead of me?" she suddenly cried out desperately. "And if that girl was smarter than me, prettier than me, and a hecka lot more mature than me? Would you have chosen her to love instead of me?"

A throaty chuckle deep within his throat reached her ears. A seemingly complicated question with simple answers. "For the matter of intelligence, my dear, I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself in sharing much of my knowledge with someone who doesn't lack it as much as you."

Confusing at first, but the more her brain processed it, the more she understood it. There would always be a smile on his muzzle whenever he'd classify the numerous plant species they'd find on their daily strolls and how sunlight affects the chloroplasts that… uh… he lost her on that part. And sometimes, he'd gladly take the time to torture her with numerous textbooks at his disposal. Despite her protests of this, he is the reason why her grades haven't plummet to an F- last year. And the more thought she put thought into what he had just said… wasn't it an insult?

He didn't give more time to think about it as he carried on. "And as for beauty, I always believed that subject to be a subject of opinion. For example…" A gentle claw removed fiery bangs from her teary eyes. "…look at me."

Layla did as she was told and revealed to him her ocean of blue.

Ethan seemed pleased to the art he was beholding. "Ah yes, never have I met beauty such as yours. None can rival the brilliant sparkle within your eyes that will no doubt bring shame to heaven's stars. And the great artist of Mona Lisa would have switched over to you if he was gifted with the sight of you." Layla forced her head down to drown it in embarrassment, but a claw under her chin lifted it back up. "Yet, no matter how true I believe my words to be, the undenying fact of your beauty is merely a perspective from a single soul. To others, they may not believe in the beauty I see. They might as well be blind to it. And the reason why I can discover such beautiful magnificence within you is because…" He chuckled and licked her cheek. "…I love you…"

Layla felt confused to why she was laughing in tears. How can someone laugh and cry at the same time?

The sound of her heightening spirits earned her a satisfying purr from Ethan. "Now to the matter of maturity. I shall answer this question with another question."

How the hell does that work?

"Does it truly matter with one's maturity within a relationship such as ours? I fell in love with you and who you are. Thus, tying to your earlier proclamation, who is to say I will not enjoy what you enjoy? Who is to say I will not enjoy to your _video games_? Entertainment does take many forms these days. And who is to say I will not enjoy to your _comic books._ I do find any form of reading to be quite enjoyable."

"And you'll try a cup of Cup Noodles, right?" Layla asked, hope in her brightening eyes.

His predatory eyes grew deadly serious. "I'd rather suffer a thousand deaths than to indulge myself in-"

"Ok, dude, I get it!" Layla chuckled. "You don't have to be such a-"

Her words were cut short when a pair of huge arms engulfed her, pulling her into a warm embrace. "Please, Layla, I beg of you," the dinosaur spoke in a near-broken tone. "Don't ever disgrace yourself. It pains me to think you would belittle your own being."

"I don't know what the frick you just said," Layla whispered, running her hand through his feathers. "But… ok, I promise."

Ethan pulled her away, but immediately reassured her by nuzzling her head with his own. At this point, her tears had dried and evaporated into the summer heat; however, Layla felt a watery sensation being brushed against her face.

"Hey Ethan, are you crying?" she asked.

"Why yes," he answered without regret. "Yes I am…"

 **Log: Layla**

 _Never have I noticed these insecurities my love has hidden away from me. As her lover, I should have never deduced the small pain within her smile and eyes to a mere misconception of my superb vision. I should have taken notice to her great reluctance to show me what she valued and what she loved to do. This feeling of failure consumes my confidence in myself._

 _But as today has told, I may no longer have to worry. I can see ourselves laughing as we play these video games and sipping tea as we read these picture books._

 _But I dread the day she will force me to ingest these… Cup Noodles._

* * *

 **Sorry for taking so long! School's been screwing my life so far. And typing Ethan's dialogue takes some time because, unlike Layla where she basically talks like me, I see him as this fancy word talker that I have to use Google to help me with sometimes.**

 **Anyways, review if you liked this chapter!**


	13. A Long Hidden Secret

Layla usually wasn't the kind of human to probe around other people's stuff, but what else was there to do when her boyfriend went off worrying over nothing? She tried to calm him down; however, the thought of those _incompetent_ (as he prefers to describe them) wanna-be chefs mutating the food with their unwashed hands into unspeakable horrors fueled his paranoia until it finally drove him mad. Ethan rushed out of his room in lightning speed with Shakespeare tagging right behind him, leaving his girlfriend as she leaned on his door, rolling her eyes.

And she wasn't particularly fond of going over his stuff especially. She remembered the last time she did this sort of stuff when he wasn't around was when she was like eight or something.

All she found were books, books, and even more books. And just when she thought she finally found something interesting at the top of his old book shelf as she was scaling it, the whole entire thing toppled over her and left her trapped in a pile of text books until her mother dug her out. She still had that stupid math equation etched into her mind thanks to all those hours of that text book plastered onto her face. But, to be honest, it did help her on that one test…

Today, though, might yield something interesting. From under his bed, Layla pulled out a good-sized, wooden trunk littered with dust.

Layla's eyes set a curious gaze over the dusty trunk for a few seconds. They shifted over to the orange cat hanging over her head. "What do you think is in here, Ginger?" she asked the cat.

" _Meow…_ " the cat meowed.

"Ugh, whatever."

Layla continued to mull over the trunk. Going through all these years she's known Ethan, he has never once talked or even mentioned this secret secret of his. How long has he had this? Why hasn't he told about this. But most importantly, what exactly is in it?

Inhaling a deep breath, Layla blew and scattered the dust.

"Aww, man!" she coughed the words out. "I can taste how old this thing is." She spat out the last of the dust and moved on to unhooking the hinges. The top flipped open with a heavy thud echoing across the room. Like pulling the unknown out of a magician's hat, the first thing Layla uncovered was… _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_?

"And what do ya think you're doing going through Ethan's stuff, huh?" an amused voice chuckled from behind.

Her vision swiveled behind and came in contact with a pair of long legs. Following up that was a white lab coat gleaming under the bright light, and further up that was a pair of kind eyes staring down at her through clear glasses.

"Oh, uh… hey Mr. Malcolm!" Layla said in a rushed greeting. Ginger did the same with her own tired yawn. "What are you doing here?"

Dr. Malcolm and Layla got on good terms a long time ago when she finally realized a greater fear than murderous scientists in lab coats: murderous clowns in clown suits! But besides, the two were practically friends, or semi-friends actually. You know, two people who got along well but don't really socialize with each other much. Layla hasn't seen Dr. Malcolm much more than usual actually. Her mother included. Maybe it's because they're too busy doing whatever government-hired scientists do on secret experiments or something along those lines.

Anyways…

"Came here to check on a few files on my computer when I just so happened to find you going through Ethan's stuff. Now, the better question is, what are you doing here?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhh…" was her only response as her brain worked overtime for a reasonable explanation. The worry drove her head to glance back and forth nonstop from his awaiting gaze to the book in her hand. Out of options, she held up the book to him. "I was reading some _Harry Potter_?"

It was almost as if the book shocked his expression into surprise. He knelt down to Layla's level and grabbed ahold the book, analyzing every corner of it. By the looks of it, the book might as well be something baked from fresh from the printer. In fact, it still had that new, enchanting book smell. "Where'd you find this?" he asked.

"Found it in this old trunk under Ethan's bed. See?" She scooted a bit to allow Dr, Malcolm's hands to dive inside the trunk.

"A robe?" Layla questioned at the sleek, black fabric Dr. Malcolm held out.

"Not just any robe," Dr. Malcolm said, cracking a wider smile. He shifted the robe to point where Layla could spot a symbol of a fierce, roaring lion engraved on the fabric. "What we got here is a Gryffindor robe."

Layla nearly tripped on his words. "Wait, Gryffindor? Like as in, Harry Potter?"

"What other house comes in orange and red and a lion? Definitely not Sltheryin, I'll you that." Dr. Malcolm further pulled out a pair of round glasses and some kind of pointy stick. "Ever read the series?"

She placed a thinking finger under her chin. "Um… do watching the movies count as reading the books?"

He laughed. "He's probably gonna start growling at you if you say anything like that to him."

"Why does Ethan have all of this anyways?" Layla asked, swinging the stick as if casting a spell.

"I gave it to him," Dr. Malcolm answered. "Well, most of it anyways. That stick you're waving there used to be a tree branch that Ethan ripped off."

"Since when was Ethan a Harry Potter fan?" she asked, setting the stick down. "I mean, I don't remember him fanboying the franchise when we were younger."

"Since before he met you. You'd be amazed the expression he had as a 5 year-old dinosaur kid getting his claws on his first _Harry Potter_ book in hard cover. Kids with his I.Q just loved getting their books in hard cover."

Layla poked her head inside the trunk, discovering a perfectly aligned row of the _Harry Potter_ franchise still preserved in pristine condition, all of them in hard cover of course. And further inspection lead her eyes to spot a neat stack of those temporary tattoos of lightning-shaped scars. The mark of a true fan. What's next? A Harry Potter doll?

Layla's curiosity was spiking. "All right, how much of a fanboy was Ethan?"

"Not the most hardcore fan. Believe me, I've heard and seen the real ones, but Ethan definitely did some crazy stunts in the name of the franchise."

Crazy? Stunts? Ethan? Those three really didn't mix well together in Layla's head. "Like, what kind of stunts?"

Dr. Malcolm let out smalls laughs and a smile at the fond memories stirring in his head. "For starters, there was this one time the security cameras caught some kid-sized dinosaur completely tearing apart the janitor's closet."

"Why the heck would Ethan break into the janitor's closet?"

"So he could steal the janitor's mop. Guessing it's cuz it's the next best thing to a flying broom."

"And he needed a flying mop becauuuuuuse…"

"Because e wanted to show everybody that he could fly on his magic mop across the entire goddamn island. Would've been fine if you asked me, if it weren't for the fact he was gonna do it by jumping off the goddamn roof."

Layla tried to imagine it: a sweet, little, innocent dinosaur kid wearing the goofiest, round glasses imaginable with said glasses blending perfectly with wizarding robes and an awesome lighting scar on the muzzle, all the while preparing to fly off into the sunset with a magic mop ready to take off.

"No way! Did he survive?"

"Why yes, I did… as evident to my presence that gives adequate evidence to my survival."

Dr. Malcolm and Layla simultaneously turned their heads towards the half-pissed half-embarrassed voice to find Ethan trying to appear intimidating in his stance that wavered in shyness as his locked gaze on the two couldn't decide to border on anger or embarrassment.

 _Log: An old obsession_

 _For so long I have prayed that my love would never unearth my darkest secret. It has proven to work for so long, I had almost brought myself to believe there is a great, all-powerful god answering my prayers._

 _But now, it seems, that god has decided to ignore my pleas for today._

 _Yes, it is true that I was once a Harry Potter fan (or fanboy as Layla would put it). Yes, I admit to committing very heinous acts in the name of Harry Potter. And yes, I do find myself regretting every crime I have done for the love of the franchise (most notably my thievery of a magic mop)._

 _But you must understand, Harry Potter is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, works of literature I have ever read, rivaling even Shakespearean literature. At first book it had already enchanted me with its mystical aura and sparked within me a blazing fire that could not and would not be quelled until every single Harry Potter book was burned into my memory._

 _It was a happiness before I met Layla. But when I couldn't share my happiness with anyone… I began to feel the dark clutches of depression on my heart._

 _And when I met Layla, I feared this wild child would reject my happiness so I never once told her of my fondness of witchcraft and wizardry. Even as she matured (at last somewhat) I still feared her rejection._

 _Now, however, I know she loves me and would never harbor any odious thoughts on me and what I love._

 _So maybe I should cease this foolish fear and share with her my Harry Potter obsession_

* * *

Dr. Malcolm continued to spin endlessly in his chair as the computer's loading screen tested his patience. About five minutes later, the he finally managed to access his secret file labeled _Pictures._

He opened it.

And what was revealed was an endless stream of a young dinosaur showing nothing but pure, unmistakable joy. Dr. Malcolm's grin grew as he moved to each picture. From Ethan's priceless face as he received the Gryffindor robes to him standing at the edge of a roof preparing to fly off on his mop.

But what nearly got Dr. Malcolm to tears was seeing a lightning-bolt scarred Ethan in his goofy glasses and his wizarding robes as he held his wand proudly towards the sky, a fierce and prideful gleam in his eyes.

Then Dr. Malcolm closed his eyes and tried to imagine all of that innocence gone. He tried to imagine Ethan, with blood-filled eyes of a merciless killer, bearing down a helpless human at gunpoint as his bloodstained claws drop droplets of red blood of his countless victims,

But he just couldn't.

He just couldn't imagine Ethan being anything like that.

 **Hey guys! Sorry for taking so long! Stuff's beeen happening. Anyways, I hope you take your time to review!**


	14. Hide and Seek

" _You wish to play a game of hide-and-seek?" a confused, young dinosaur asked the young human swinging on the swing sets._

 _As if on cue, she launched herself off at the highest point and landed safely within Ethan's hold. She giggled as she petted his snout, eliciting a grateful purr. "Yeah!" she cheered. "I wanna play a new game with my best friend!"_

 _Despite his thoughts melting into bliss from her pets, Ethan began to ponder this hide-and-seek. According to his research, the game is mainly composed of a single seeker seeking other players who are known as the hiders. The game is not won until the seeker achieves his/her goal of discovering the hiders. A very simple yet interesting game in his opinion._

 _Layla wiggled out of his hug. "Ok! I hide and you count to ten. All right?"_

 _Ethan chuckled at her cuteness. "Very well, Layla. I shall now close my eyes and count to ten."_

 _Darkness covered the dinosaur's vision. And within that darkness, he came the sound of running footsteps slowly fading out of his reach until ending with the sudden rustle of a bush. It had already been passed ten, but Ethan, knowing full well how easily he could catch up to his friend thanks to his speed, he decided to instead count to 100 instead._

 _As time passed, Ethan meditated on his calm breathing, to the birds singing within the trees, and to the soothing breeze flowing across the park.._

 _96... 97…98…100, he counted. He opened his eyes._

 _It was almost as if Ethan was seeing the world in a strange trance. A voice kept echoing in his head._

" _Find her," it persisted._

 _Ethan did not agree nor did he disagree. He just followed._

 _The dinosaur raised his snout to sniff at the air. The remnants of Layla's sweet scent still lingered. Without a single thought in mind, he brushed past the bushes and entered the dark forest where the shadows roamed. Layla's scent were small fragments his snout had to pick up, but the farther he slowly ventured into the forest, the more he was able to piece those fragments into a trail to follow. And that trail led to an open clearing where the trees could not stop the sun's pouring light._

 _Layla was hiding behind a huge boulder in the middle of the clearing. She peeked from the side of the rock, scanning for any signs of anything scaly, before quickly retreating back to sitting down and hugging her knees, giggling at her cleverness._

 _It would've been a decent spot if it weren't for a predatory gaze looming over her within the forest's darkness._

 _Ethan made a motion to take a step, but stopped._

 _How should he approach her? Should he simply step out and greet her? That is how the game is won, right? But why ruin the moment? Why when she looks so happy… so innocent… so helpless… so defenseless…_

 _A voice from the dark corners of his mind told him to rush at her and pounce on her while the chance is ripe. Then, as she's pinned to the ground, paralyze her with his predator's gaze. Then after drinking in her fear, he'll-_

 _NO, Ethan's consciousness roared, banishing that voice from wherever dark corner it came from. He will not harm her in any way!_

 _Ethan inhaled a deep breath and stepped into the light._

 **Present Day**

Layla fell to her knees, gasping for precious oxygen. She had been running through the forest for ten minutes straight nonstop! Her lungs pretty much begging for her to stop. What she wouldn't give for some cold, refreshing mountain dew.

 _Crack!_

Layla's instincts immediately reacted. She turned her head towards the sound only to discover nothing but darkness.

 _Crack!_

There it was again, louder this time… closer this time, but she couldn't find what was lurking beyond her vision. Layla strained her ears trying to pinpoint its location. That's when she heard it.

A feral, ungodly growl ensnared her in fear. She forced her head to check behind her to come face to face with a pair of blood-red eyes glowing in the void. It opened its maw and revealed row after row of sharp teeth just itching to tear something apart, dripping hungry drool.

Layla ran. She didn't know where but she just ran. She kept running and running until she broke into an open clearing. Her eyes spotted a boulder sitting at the middle of the clearing. She attempted a run for the boulder, but as soon as she took her first step, something large and heavy tackled her to the ground.

The wind was knocked of her body and her vision became blurry. The instant she regained sight, fear gripped at her heart. A big, hulking dinosaur was pinning her to the grass with his blood-red, predatory gaze bearing down overwhelming pressure. The full moon radiating behind him and his near-glowing red eyes made him a sight to both fear and behold.

The beast's snout darted for Layla's exposed neck and inhaled deeply her scent. Already it had drugged him and left him groaning in bliss. Next, the dinosaur began to torment his freshly caught prey by nipping at her neck. Layla whimpered in a mix between pain and pleasure and aroused her predator further.

He desired more.

The moment Layla gasped for air, Ethan shoved his tongue inside deep as he could. She could feel him thrusting that long tongue of his down her throat. Dizziness from the lack of air started to turn her brain to mush. But she didn't care. Never did she feel anything so intense and amazing!

It wasn't enough. The beast relinquished his tongue. He trailed his snout down while Layla's lungs clawed for breath. He came across his prey's small breasts, nudging them affectionately. He wanted to taste them, but his prey's infernal clothing would make the act impossible. He positioned his maw to bite down the bottom of her shirt. He proceeded to lift up the fabric, exposing her smooth belly.

"Ethan…" Layla moaned, realizing his intentions..

He passed over her chest and found delight in seeing her tiny breasts covered in such a puny, pink bra.

"…please…"

He was so close. The arms were the last he needed to pass.

"…stop…"

Ethan pulled back.

"Layla, forgive me!" he stammered. He finally noticed just how much fear he instilled into her. Tears were threatening to fall and her lips quivered uncontrollably. Guilt hit the dinosaur hard. If she hadn't broken him from his trance, he could have-

"Ethan, it's ok," Layla assured, wiping away her tears and giving him a smile. "Things just got out of hand, all right?"

Ethan removed himself from her and sat up. Layla sat up along with him. She stared at him for a few seconds, noticing how solemn his eyes were as he gazed at the moon, until deciding to nestle her head against his arm.

"I'm sorry," Ethan said.

She punched his arm. "Don't worry about it, Ethan. I'm getting used to this stuff happening every time we play hide-and-seek. And I kinda like it. I don't see any problems."

"The problem is that we play these games…" Ethan explained glumly.

A little hurt, she responded, "And what's that suppose to mean?"

"It is not what you think I mean. When we play these games, say tag or hide-and-seek, I start to perceive you as my prey…" he admitted with guilt.

Layla laughed. "Prey?"

Ethan looked down at her.

Layla froze. That predatory gaze that had trapped her had returned.

"And I, the predator," Ethan continued in a grave voice. "I can still feel the thrill of the hunt coursing through my veins. Your fruitless attempts of escape… your haggard breathes… and your fear arouses me like never before. With each hunt my urges only become that much harder to contain."

"And uh… just out of curiosity… what kind of urges are we talking here?"

Swallowing embarrassment, Ethan pointed at his crotch.

Layla's blush glowed brighter under the moon. "Oh… that kind of urges."

Ethan nodded.

"I wouldn't think too badly of it if I were you, though." She embraced him in a small, warm hug and it was Ethan's turn to blush. "I think it's pretty cool to think of you as my big, strong predator who loves his prey very much."

Ethan smiled as well and embraced her with his bigger, warmer hug. "Then I too will start to believe it is cool to think of you as little, cute prey who loves her predator very much."

 **Log: Predator and Prey**

 _To be honest, I do not find the idea of a predator loving his prey and a prey loving her predator very cool. Rather, I find the concept of the relationship to be very…_ ***cough *cough** _… sexy…_

 _Ugh, I cannot believe I have just said that. Such a vulgar word to describe it, and yet, the only word I can to describe it. I can imagine myself, the predator, ravaging my prey, Layla, with so much love and affection I can not help but feel stimulated by the mere thought of it._

 _And that is where the problem lies._

 _How much longer can I contain my primal urges?_

 _How much longer before I force upon Layla my primal urges against her will?_

 _How much longer will it continue to be safe to love her?_


	15. Dinosaur Flu

Layla held out a cluster full of tissues and a quivering, clawed hand that struggled to stay in the air gratefully accepted the gift. Ethan blew into the tissues as hard as he can, moaned in terrible pain, and tossed the crumpled, snot ball into the trash bin.

"How are you feeling, Ethan?" Layla asked.

The dinosaur moaned again before making the effort to turn to the side of the bed to face her, only to fail halfway. His blank, nearly dead eyes stared at the ceiling. With a hoarse and slow voice, he began, "My body… feels as if the entire world ***cough *cough** around me is a great, searing flame that takes sadistic delight in slowly torturing my form. The heat is unbearable. And yet… it feels as if my very soul has frozen completely and radiates a freezing coldness so cold that it burns…"

"So… not good?"

Ethan wanted to laugh, but coughed instead. "No… I am not well."

He didn't have to say it to make her worry more than she could take. Ethan's snout drooled snot and his mesmerizing, red eyes had dulled and lost its gleam. The color of his scales had mutated into a sickly, dark grey color that failed to shine even under the brightest of light. And every second of breath he took was haggard and weak. There might as well be a ball stuck halfway down his throat because each attempt at breathing had resulted in a loud, obnoxious snore.

Layla sighed as she placed a new, wet towel over his muzzle while her other hand worked beneath the blankets to massage his heaving chest in soothing strokes. Ethan shifted comfortably a bit and purred weakly, but the moment was soon broken by a fit of nasty coughs that distorted his blissful expression into pain.

Slumped besides Layla, Shakespeare whined in concerned for his master. The canine-half-reptile leaned forward and poked his pleading nose on his master's shoulder, hoping for some miracle that that would be the cure to his mysterious illness. Nothing happened for the next few seconds. No coughing… no moaning… and it wasn't long before Ethan sat up from where he laid. Shakespeare's head perked up and his tail wagged in excitement, barking happily. Until, that is, his master unleashed another set of painful coughs, the worst yet that caused everyone in the room to cringe and share his suffering, before crashing and moaning back down into bed.

"Hey, at least you tried, Shakespeare," Layla comforted, petting him on the head as he whined worriedly. "Look, maybe Ginger knows what to do?"

Both Layla and Shakespeare focused their heads at the orange cat stationed at the near-end of Ethan's bed where his tail poked out of the covers limp and weak. Then both sighed when they realized the best Ginger could do was swat and nibble at her master's tail playfully like a toy.

"Mom, is Ethan gonna be all right?" she asked her mother who stood right behind her daughter.

Claire crossed her arms and stared down at the floor, sighing. "Don't worry about it, Sweetie. Dr. Malcolm and the others say Ethan is just dealing with a flu that's been infecting some of the dinosaurs here on the island. Our top researchers assured me that he'll recover in a few days."

That failed to make her feel any better, and Claire felt the same way. Seeing Ethan suffering in so much pain crushed her heart. It nearly made her want to get back into being religious so she could pray for his sake.

Claire knelt down and patted her daughter's back. "Hey, why don't you stay here and try whatever you can to help Ethan get through his flu. I need to discuss something important with Dr. Malcolm."

"Ok…" Layla mumbled as her hand slowly caressed the feathers on his chest.

The sliding door shut behind Claire. She looked to her right where Dr. Malcolm stood staring through the window that led to Ethan's room

"We're going to have to take note of this into the next experiment," Claire told him, voice devoid of any emotion.

Dr. Malcolm rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah…" he responded, sliding back into his rolling chair and typing into his computer.

* * *

Ethan released a groggy moan as he stirred from his sleep, a splitting headache threatening to tear his mind into two. Gently, he grasped the small hand that rested on his chest. "Layla, are you there…? I cannot smell your sweet scent any more…"

"It's ok, Ethan. I'm here."

The dinosaur turned his head towards the voice. Though his vision was blurred, he smiled lightly at the figure with pointy ears and a wagging tail. But what eased his worries was the one next to it who was unmistakably his love.

"Ethan, can I get you anything?" Layla asked. "Anything at all! Just say the word and I'll do it." Mixed into her concerned gaze was fiery determination dead-set in her eyes. She's absolutely serious into doing whatever he asks. If he wants her to get a grade past D in Spanish class, then you can be damn sure she's going to a grade past D in Spanish.

Ethan's mind struggled for an answer. Then, after minutes of thinking, he smiled pleasantly. "Make me chicken noodle soup…" he whispered.

 _Oh._

The blazing fires of determination died right there. Making chicken soup is like asking her to get a grade pass B in Spanish class! "Uh… Ethan… are you sure you want me to make you some chicken noodle soup?" she asked while scratching the back of her head. "You know I can't cook that good."

"Nonsense," he said a little too loudly and was punished with a cough. "Even a brain-dead monkey… can create something as simple as… chicken noodle soup. I believe in your abilities… Layla."

"Well, I'm not a brain-dead monkey. So I can't make it. Why do you want chicken soup anyways?"

Ethan coughed before he responded. Every pause he made was a haggard attempt for breath. "I recall… long ago in my studies… that… chicken noodle soup is a common remedy among you humans… for a sickness such as mine… While such a myth may require some research to prove its beliefs… I believe the dish is best suited in aiding my wellness…"

"How about chicken-flavored Cup Noodles?"

Layla couldn't tell if he was moaning in pain from the sickness or the thought of Cup Noodles.

"C'mon, Cup Noodles isn't that much different than chicken noddle soup if you think about it," she defended. "Cup Noodles has the chicken, the noodles, and the soup! And best of all, you just need to microwave it to cook it."

"And… that is… one reason more… I despise it so..."

Layla rubbed his chest again. "Just wait here while I make you some soup, ok?"

"My love… please…" he moaned. "Don't make me consume those foul noodles…"

She ignored him and went straight into his kitchen. Opening his cupboards, her eyes scanned for any signs of Cup Noodles. She searched and searched for minutes, only discovering sauces and spices and came up empty. "Ethan, where do you keep all your Cup Noodles?" she called as she closed the cupboards.

"As if… I would keep… such disgusting… VILE FOOD IN MY-" He was hit with another loud cough before he could finish. "Sorry to inform… you, my dear… but my kitchen holds no such substamce."

Layla took time to think about where else to search. "Hey, I think there's some back in the hotel's kitchen. I'm just gonna head there real quick and bring back some, ok?"

Ethan didn't say anything. His head was in too much pain to form a response.

"Shakespeare, wanna come with?"

The German Velociraptor barked happily and ran to Layla's side. She giggled and scratched his head before stepping up to the sliding door that slid open to her presence. But right before she could take a step out, she stopped.

How long would it take her to get to the hotel?

Walking to the hotel from here would take at least an hour. Running would take five minutes less. She knew the nearest dinosaur can take her from here to there would take ten minutes tops. But Ethan's out of commission. A car can take her there in about 30 minutes. Too bad she didn't have a car nor a driver's license. And Dr. Malcolm and her mother were nowhere to be found.

Layla looked back to check on her boyfriend. Ethan's back was turned on her, but she could hear the faint coughs and moans that shared to her his pain.

She'll just have to run for it.

* * *

The door slid open and Shakespeare rushed in with Layla in tow. The human was tired and near breathless, but she proudly held the up the Cup Noodles in her hand. "I'm back, Ethan, and I've got the thing! Just need to microwave this real quick you'll be feeling better in no-"

The Cup Noodles fell from her hand.

Layla gawked in disbelief as she witnessed Ethan, up and out of bed, wearing his blanket like cloak as he worked in the kitchen cooking what was probably chicken noodle soup. Ginger was there as well, still hanging on and nibbling his sagging tail.

Layla walked to him, unsure of what to make of this. "Ethan… are you…"

But he paid her no mind. He switched off the fire and opened the pot, unleashing a delicious aroma throughout the room. He used his hand to waft the aroma directly to his stuffed snout. A pleasant smile grew on him. With both hands, he lifted the large pot, opened wide his maw, and gulped down the entire soup. Soothing warmth rushed down his throat and eased the pain. By the time he finished, his arm wiped off the remaining soup and a bit of light returned in his dull eyes

"Ahh…" he sighed. "That was most satisfying..."

There was a sick sniffling in the room, but it didn't come from Ethan.

Ethan looked down at his side to find Layla, head down in shame, nearly in tears.

"I'm so useless…" she faintly whispered.

Her voice carried so much despair and hopelessness that Ethan wasted no time to kneel to her level and place a large hand on her shoulder. "Layla… what do you mean?"

Her arm attempted to wipe away all her tears, but failed. "I mean what I said, Ethan. For once, finally for once, I thought I could do something for you to thank you for all you've done for me… for loving me. But instead… you just showed how useless I still am to you…"

At this point, she shut her eyes from Ethan and surrounded them with pitch-black darkness. That dark and sinister voice returned from the void. _Stupid,_ it said. _Useless,_ it said.

Ethan smiled sadly and licked away her bitter tears. "Layla, my love, please halt your tears for me. You will never be seen as useless to me…"

"Why?" she continued to cry. "Are you gonna say it's because you love me and all that crap that you can forgive me? Because I'm telling you right now that's not gonna make me feel any better."

"If you would please just open your eyes, then will I convey to you my reason."

Layla willed her eyes open, and soon met the compassionate, loving gaze of her predator.

Ethan felt he would drown if he stared any longer mesmerized into her beautiful ocean of blue. "I can find just by getting lost in your eyes that you love me, yes?"

"I… really do…" she whimpered.

"Then that is all you need to do for me, my dear," he chuckled happily.

"W-what? I-I don't understand…"

Layla was shocked to find that his fierce eyes had dilated into predatory slits. "YOU love me, Layla, and that is more that I can ever ask of you."

Her lips began to quiver, and Ethan prepared himself to lick away any more tears, but instead, his love bursted out laughing as she jumped on him to hug his huge head. The soup had not brought Ethan back to full strength, so he was easily knocked over by his small prey. Ginger was knocked out of Ethan's tail and she meowed grumpily. But neither of them cared. Both were too busy laughing assLayla hugged his neck tighter and Ethan held her closer.

Once their laughter died down to slight giggles, Ethan suggested, "Now, would you desire a bowl of my chicken noodle soup? I assure you, it provides much better source of nourishment than your horrid, Cup Noodles."

Layla couldn't think of a much better place to sleep through the night. She was laid in bed, held and protected by Ethan's strong, scaly arms. From time to time, she would find herself nuzzling her face against his broad, muscular chest of soft feathers and giggled silently when she heard him purring in response.

Then, out of nowhere, she began to cry.

She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have met Ethan. He is the smartest, nicest, and most wonderful person she has ever met and love. Even if he isn't human, that doesn't mean a damn thing to his kind heart. And the more she thought about how amazing he is, the harder her tears leaked.

What would she be without him?

A few years ago, Layla was at her worst in life. Bullies and teachers mocked her at every turn. Homework was piled into a mountain. The upcoming, final exams inflicted great amounts of stress. Her grades fell to a point way beyond below F. Her mother pestered her and nagged just how disappointed she was in her own daughter. Then she went ahead and took all her electronics: phone to consoles to her own computer. And even her usually-laidback father was starting to get worried about her. There was just so many little things attacking her in so many different directions that she wanted to give up. Maybe take a few drugs to _loosen_ up. Or even maybe commit suicide just to end it all on the spot.

But then she started to wonder, _What would Ethan think?_

She imagined how heartbroken he'd be if he knew she killed herself. And knowing him, he'll blame himself for her sudden death. In heaven or hell, she knew she wouldn't be able to stand to see him in so much pain and sadness over his loss of his greatest friend.

So, at her weakest moment, she decided if she was going to live, she'll live for him. Not for her parents' sake or for the sake of being successful in life. She'll live only for the sake of Ethan; nothing and for no one else.

As Layla continued to cry, she suddenly felt herself being lifted higher onto the bed. She felt Ethan's warm and wet tongue ridding the tears that stained her face. The strange part was that he was still sleeping, but she didn't mind. His tongue always feels so nice.

Seemingly satisfied with his work, Ethan hugged her back into his chest. "I love you always, Layla…" he mumbled pleasantly. "Never forget that…"

"I won't… Ethan," she whimpered. "I won't ever forget. I promise."

 **Log: Not Invincible**

 _For so long I have thought myself as invincible. And can you blame a dinosaur who was genetically created to be the ultimate predator who's comprised of the most savage beasts that has ever roamed the Earth?_

 _Today has made realize that I am not invincible. While it may take great physical harm to put dent on my scales that rival steel, sicknesses such as the common flu can easily penetrate my defenses and leave me crawling on the floor, sneezing up a storm._

 _But that is not the only truth I'm coming to realize._

 _I have always thought of Layla as a strong-willed human who can laugh at her problems and make them naught._

 _But today has me thinking otherwise._

 _Perhaps Layla is not as strong as I once thought. She seems to be insecure about herself. She doubts her very existence and needlessly berates herself._

 _Almost like me…_

 _But no matter. It is all the more reason why I must protect my love with all my power and assure her she is not thet lower lifeform she thinks herself to be._

 ** _Sup, everybody! Reviews are always appreciated._**


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